About one in five fire extinguishers on public transportation vehicles do not meet quality standards, the Consumer Protection Commission said yesterday.
The commission recently inspected fire extinguishers on 127 public transportation vehicles and found that 27, or about 21 percent, were not up to code. Tour buses had an especially high rate of violation, with 35 percent of their fire extinguishers -considered -substandard, commission section chief Wu Cheng-hsueh (吳政學) said.
Inspectors from the commission inspected vehicles that regularly transport passengers to and from major tourist attractions, airports and bus terminals nationwide. Problems with fire extinguishers included the use of models that were not intended for use inside a vehicle, pressurization levels not within the standard range, having exceeded the expiration date and worn, -damaged or detached parts on the device.
The commission said that of all commercial motor transportation companies inspected by the commission, Free Go Bus had the highest rate of violation. Out of the five vehicles inspected, four did not have proper fire extinguishing devices, the commission said.
“Some of the fire extinguishers [that inspectors found to be inadequate] seemed to be there purely for decoration and could not function properly,” Wu said.
The commission has demanded that commercial motor transportation companies immediately make improvements to ensure the safety of passengers.
In addition, the commission urged the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to establish regulations that would penalize motor transportation companies if on-board fire extinguishers were not up to code, as there is currently no regulation on which appropriate punishments could be based.
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