The Taipei City Government on Monday was accused of badly managing the Maokong Gondola, which has run up a total loss of NT$360 million (US$12.24 million) over the past three years.
“The Maokong Gondola is a great money-losing venture. For each day’s operation, it adds NT$350,000 to its deficit. It loses an average of NT$41 for each passenger,” Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) said during a city council question session.
Wu accused the city government of mismanagement and incompetence in operating the gondola, saying it has accumulated NT$360 million in losses since 2010.
She demanded that the city reassess the proposed Beitou gondola project and suggested it be halted.
“The plan for the Beitou gondola has been in the works for 20 years, but I see that it is following in the footsteps of the Maokong Gondola,” Wu said.
She said that the geology of Beitou District (北投) would make the proposed gondola weaker and more risky than the construction in the Maokong area.
“The Taipei City Government must put in stringent measures to monitor the process. I suggest that the decision [to build the Beitou gondola] be left to the next mayor,” Wu said.
“The land designated for the Beitou gondola project has a serious erosion problem, and sulfur from the hot springs and volcanic vents breaks down the rock. People are very worried about the project’s safety,” she said. “The proposed gondola goes through residential neighborhoods and important cultural sites. Even if the project conditionally passed the environmental impact assessment in December, the city government must not slack off on its responsibility to monitor and regulate the process.”
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) told Wu that the environmental impact assessment report was completed for the Beitou gondola project last year. The project is now proceeding according to the proper regulations, he said.
“As for questions about the geology, the city government will uphold its responsibility to oversee and monitor the project,” he said.
Wu also said that when the Beitou gondola project was initiated 20 years ago, the aim was to alleviate traffic congestion on Yangde Boulevard, the main road to and from Yangmingshan National Park, but since then changes have been made to improve the traffic flow to and from the park.
Wu added that the city government had bungled the Maokong Gondola’s management, saying this was the cause of the deficit and was affecting tourism to the area. She said Hau and city officials basked in the positive publicity from the newborn giant panda Yuan Zai (圓仔), yet were incapable of formulating good ideas.
“We have Yuan Zai the baby panda at the Taipei Zoo attracting much attention, but the city government signed a business collaboration agreement with Japanese company Sanrio for Hello Kitty marketing and merchandizing to promote the Maokong Gondola in an attempt to salvage the operation,” Wu said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it