Staff reporter
Taipei taxi drivers fond of discussing politics or listening to political radio talk shows in their taxis had better beware.
Taipei City's Department of Transportation has drafted a taxi self-governance statute declaring such behavior inappropriate and stipulating that as long as customers ask the driver to stop and can prove that they did so, a driver persisting in this behavior can be fined between NT$600 and NT$1,200.
Although article 38 of the Road Traffic Management and Punishment Law (道路交通管理處罰條例) already includes regulations placing restrictions on the behavior of taxi drivers, it only stipulates fines for refusing to pick up a customer or deliberately taking a longer route.
To deal with the problem, the Department of Transportation has drafted the new statute, which includes fine specifications in the hope that it will improve the quality of taxi services once it is passed by the council.
Yeh Tzu-chuan (葉梓銓), a department section chief, said Taipei residents often complain about a lack of service from taxi drivers and their fondness for discussing politics, which can turn the ride into a nightmare when there is a difference of opinion or when customers don't want to discuss such things, adding that such complaints are the reason for the draft statute.
Drivers would not be prohibited from discussing politics or listening to political radio talk shows, but they should respect the wishes of customers who do not want to discuss such topics or ask the driver to switch stations, he added.
Admitting that it would be difficult for customers to prove that a driver refused to abide by the regulations, Yeh expressed the hope that the statute would influence the behavior of drivers.
Wu Ching-fu (吳慶輔), chairman of Taipei City's Association of Professional Taxi Drivers, said sometimes it is the customer who wants to discuss politics, and that the driver may be perceived as impolite if he or she refuses to respond, adding that most drivers will say as little as possible when opinions differ.
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
BREAKTHROUGH: The US is making chips on par in yield and quality with Taiwan, despite people saying that it could not happen, the official said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer (nm) chips for US customers in Arizona, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, a milestone in the semiconductor efforts of the administration of US President Joe Biden. In November last year, the commerce department finalized a US$6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s US unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading edge 4-nanometer chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo said, adding that production had begun in recent
RSS