Tsao Shou-min (
The bureau, by rashly declaring the ban, failed to meet the motto of Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's
Many bus riders are in the habit of eating their breakfast during their morning commute. In an effort to change this habit, the bureau has run educational commercials on TV and in movie theaters. But efforts to "persuade" the public have failed because of the lack of regulations and fines. That is why the bureau proposed the ban.
As far as the management of the bus companies are concerned, food and drinks brought on by passengers are the main sources of garbage and grime in the buses. A ban would get rid of potential trash, facilitate vehicle management and lower garbage disposal expenses.
However, while there may be a link between passengers eating and drinking on buses and the spillage of food and drinks on bus seats and floors, the one does not necessarily lead to the other.
Whoever is guilty of spilling food or drink is liable for punishment from the Bureau of Environmental Protection
Though eating and drinking on a bus might look disgraceful in the eyes of some people, it remains a personal right until the Legislative Yuan enacts a law banning the practice.
Until that time, the government has no right to enforce such a ban.
The next big question is who should be in charge of enforcing such a ban if it were to become law.
The MRT's ban on food and drinks is enforced by the MRT own staff and police force. Many passengers are accustomed to eating and drinking while riding and bus drivers will not be in a position to enforce such ban or even report cases. Besides dirty looks and negative comments from other passengers, there has to be someone responsible.
The question of who that will be still awaits a decision and regulations from the Transportation Bureau. Until then the garbage problem on buses can not be properly resolved.
Lin Shu-hui is a reporter at the Taipei City desk of the Liberty Times.
In the past month, two important developments are poised to equip Taiwan with expanded capabilities to play foreign policy offense in an age where Taiwan’s diplomatic space is seriously constricted by a hegemonic Beijing. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) led a delegation of Taiwan and US companies to the Philippines to promote trilateral economic cooperation between the three countries. Additionally, in the past two weeks, Taiwan has placed chip export controls on South Africa in an escalating standoff over the placing of its diplomatic mission in Pretoria, causing the South Africans to pause and ask for consultations to resolve
An altercation involving a 73-year-old woman and a younger person broke out on a Taipei MRT train last week, with videos of the incident going viral online, sparking wide discussions about the controversial priority seats and social norms. In the video, the elderly woman, surnamed Tseng (曾), approached a passenger in a priority seat and demanded that she get up, and after she refused, she swung her bag, hitting her on the knees and calves several times. In return, the commuter asked a nearby passenger to hold her bag, stood up and kicked Tseng, causing her to fall backward and
In December 1937, Japanese troops captured Nanjing and unleashed one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. Over six weeks, hundreds of thousands were slaughtered and women were raped on a scale that still defies comprehension. Across Asia, the Japanese occupation left deep scars. Singapore, Malaya, the Philippines and much of China endured terror, forced labor and massacres. My own grandfather was tortured by the Japanese in Singapore. His wife, traumatized beyond recovery, lived the rest of her life in silence and breakdown. These stories are real, not abstract history. Here is the irony: Mao Zedong (毛澤東) himself once told visiting
When I reminded my 83-year-old mother on Wednesday that it was the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, she replied: “Yes, it was the day when my family was broken.” That answer captures the paradox of modern China. To most Chinese in mainland China, Oct. 1 is a day of pride — a celebration of national strength, prosperity and global stature. However, on a deeper level, it is also a reminder to many of the families shattered, the freedoms extinguished and the lives sacrificed on the road here. Seventy-six years ago, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東)
RSS