A mobile-phone application developed by National Taipei University of Technology offers a free platform for people looking for others with whom to share a taxi or car.
Department of Electronic Engineering associate professor Huang Shih-chia (黃士嘉) said the application, BlueNet-Ride, was officially launched in September last year, adding that his research team has been studying car-pooling for five years.
“Because not too many people in Taiwan like the idea of sharing a cab or a road trip with complete strangers, we encourage people to organize trips in collaboration with Facebook friends,” Huang said.
“They can use BlueNet-Ride to find people to share a ride when they want to go to a restaurant, KTV bar or a music concert,” Huang said.
“In the same was as on the Facebook and Line applications, people can send instant messages to each other via BlueNet-Ride,” Huang added.
The team said that BlueNet-Ride is different from application-based transport network Uber, whose operation has met with controversy and has been banned in some places.
Passengers using BlueNet-Ride simply share the cost of the cab fare and pay drivers as they would normally, the team said, adding that people do not need to pay to use the app, as it is free to download.
Meanwhile, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with the Changhua County Government to help the ease traffic congestion on New Year’s Eve through use of the app, adding that the system processed almost 1,000 car-sharing requests per day leading up to Dec. 31 last year.
Studies focused on BlueNet-Ride have been published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, the university said.
The technology has been patented in both Taiwan and the US, it added.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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