Criticizing the cost and delays in releasing the Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) upgraded ticketing app, two Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday asked the agency to release all the procurement contracts related to the app.
The upgraded app was released on Sunday, but on Tuesday some people complained about being disconnected as they tried to purchase tickets.
The TRA spent about NT$1 billion (US$32.4 million) to develop the new app, which was an extraordinary amount, Legislator Jason Hsu (許毓仁) told a news conference he held with colleague Alex Fai (費鴻泰).
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
He had followed the app-development project for a long time, and its budget was apparently increased by NT$850 million after it was incorporated into the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Project, Hsu said.
Prior to that, the TRA had spent NT$200 million to create the app, he said.
“I am very curious about the technology used to develop this app,” Hsu said.
The TRA said it had developed the app itself, and it is equipped with “top-notch” functions, but it cannot guarantee that people can always book the tickets they want, Hsu said.
The agency repeatedly delayed the app’s release, Hsu said, adding that it had not been launched before the Lunar New Year holiday last year because the TRA feared it would not be able to pass a stress test.
The TRA and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications should release all the contracts involved in the creation of the app so the public can know where the money went, the lawmaker said.
It would already be a lot if someone spent NT$10 million to develop an app, yet the TRA’s upgrade cost NT$1 billion, Fai said as he also called on the agency and the ministry to tell the public what exactly they did with taxpayers’ money.
Franklin Wong (翁佳驥), a member of the Software Liberty Association of Taiwan’s board, told the news conference that the app’s program code would show whether it was worth NT$1 billion.
TRA Information Center Deputy Director Liao Wan-hui (廖萬輝) said the app has two parts: One for the public to use, which can be used on both IOS and Android systems, and another is for the palm pilots used by train conductors when they are working aboard a train.
Developing the two parts cost NT$10.8 million, Liao said.
Asked about complaints about users being automatically disconnected when trying to book tickets, Liao said that he was not sure what caused the problem.
Meanwhile, the TRA said that in July 2015 the National Development Council approved the allocation of NT$1.07 billion to improve the TRA’s ticketing system, which covered the establishment of the system’s core network, printing magnetic tickets, a ticketing app and a back-up network.
Then in April 2017, the Executive Yuan said that NT$850 million of the budget would come from funds designated for the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Development Project, it said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS