A mobile app developed by the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) now allows tour bus passengers to check if the driver is speeding or whether they have been overworked, the highway authority has said.
The nation’s about 16,000 tour buses are all equipped with the Global Positioning System (GPS), the DGH said.
The DGH said that in February in started testing a remote monitoring system, which allows tour bus companies, motor vehicle offices and the DGH to track the location of tour buses and their operations.
The system was officially launched in September and tour bus passengers can now monitor the operation of the buses they are riding in using the app, the DGH said.
Passengers can also scan a QR code in the bus they are boarding to access the monitoring system, the DGH said.
The app was originally developed for motorists to access a variety of services available at motor vehicle offices nationwide and the bus monitoring function has been recently added, the highway authority said.
DGH staff on Friday started tracking tour buses through the monitoring system at its new transportation management building, it said.
If there are problems with a bus’ operations, such as if it is speeding or the driver has been working long hours, the system would automatically alert the tour bus company, the highway authority said.
DGH personnel would also monitor tour buses around the clock and immediately notify operators if the system detects any abnormalities, and ask them to rectify the situation, it said.
If a driver is found to have violated traffic regulations numerous times, the DGH would ask the tour bus company to retrain them, the highway authority said.
The DGH said that as some tour bus drivers might turn off the GPS to avoid being monitored, it would work with the National Highway Bureau to regularly examine the data recorded on the eTag system.
Even if a bus driver turns off the GPS, the DGH would still be able to track the bus through the eTag system and determine that it has been operating with the GPS switched off, it said.
Additionally, police officers conducting checks of tour buses can use the monitoring system to see if the bus driver has turned on the GPS, the DGH said.
Drivers who turn off the GPS may be fined NT$9,000 to NT$90,000, it added.
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