Of the mere 5.3 percent of Greater Taichung residents polled who reported having ridden the municipality’s newly launched Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, only 16.9 percent said they were satisfied with the transport service, the results of a survey conducted by the Greater Taichung Development Association and released yesterday showed.
Participants in the opinion poll conducted from Tuesday to Thursday last week gave Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) a grade of 48.1 points for his launch of the BRT system, the association said.
Of the Greater Taichung residents surveyed, only 5.3 percent said they have used the new bus service and of these, 16.9 percent reported being satisfied with the service and 25.5 percent said they would now change the way they travel, the results showed.
A majority of those polled — 66.2 percent — said they do not think the BRT will solve the city’s traffic problem, but 50.6 percent said they think Greater Taichung still needs the blue line BRT system, while 68.6 percent support constructing an MRT network in the municipality.
When asked about the policy of eliminating bus fares for commutes of up to 8km, 55.2 percent of residents polled said they have used the free ride service, with 33.4 percent saying the program had altered how they commute in the city.
The data showed that 59.5 percent of respondents would be more willing to use the bus system if the frequency of buses is increased.
On July 26, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took a 3.5km ride on the BRT route along Taiwan Boulevard on the eve of the opening of the system’s year-long free service, after which he lauded Hu for establishing the bus network, deeming it as good as a subway system.
Commenting on the survey, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Greater Taichung mayoral candidate Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said he is not opposed to the BRT, but that Hu had inaugurated an incomplete system by rushing the launch to boost his approval ratings ahead of the Nov. 29 elections.
Lin said that if elected, he will set up a special panel to improve the BRT system, while also pushing for the creation of an MRT network, reviewing the 8km free bus ride policy to extend it to those living in more remote areas of the city, as well as bidding to increase the number of routes and frequency of buses.
“Greater Taichung’s BRT is not a real BRT in that it fails to provide passengers full transfer information and lacks careful planning, which has consequently seen the service stigmatized among the public,” said Wang Yi-chuan (王義川), chair of the Department of Transportation and Logistics at Toko University.
Public Transportation Association president Lee Wen-chieh (李文傑) said the Greater Taichung Government inaugurated the BRT with an incomplete transfer information mechanism after the project’s construction was repeatedly postponed, adding that this hastiness had made the BRT a complete joke.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS