Citing a recent discrimination complaint, the Taipei City Bus Administration (TCBA, 台北
"We're sorry for what had happened to Mr Liu, and we'll start the investigation right away," said Yu Wei-pin
Yu's remark was made in response to three DPP city councilors -- Lo Tsung-sheng
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
According to Lo, Liu was waiting for the No. 63 bus at the Sungshan Train Station in Sungshan District on Jan. 7, after receiving a bag of rice and a carton of dry noodles from a local Buddhist temple.
Liu receives relief goods every year from the Tzu Chi Temple (
"The bus driver refused to take Liu and sped off despite the fact that Liu had showed him his [welfare registration] certificates," Lo said. The certificates show that Liu is a senior citizen who lives alone and that he is entitled to ride public transportation free of charge.
"He [the driver] told me that the stuff I was carrying would take up too much space in the bus," Liu said.
Too embarrassed to face rejection again by the next driver, Lo said, Liu opted to carry home his belongings, which weighed about 25kg. The 9km journey took Liu, who is an asthma sufferer and has a lame leg, nearly two hours.
"Although Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Liu's case is not isolated, Hsu said.
"According to statistics released by the city's Bureau of Transportation
About 840 complaints were about drivers' admonishing senior citizens and the disabled to get on or off a bus. Over 210 complaints were about driver' refusal to accept elderly or disabled citizens' complementary tickets, more than 170 concerned drivers' refusal to allow them to ride the bus and about 140 were about drivers' poor attitudes.
"Bus drivers shouldn't refuse to take senior citizens because the Bureau of Social Affairs has earmarked an annual budget to subsidize their bus fares," Hsu said, adding that the bureau's budget approved for next year by the City Council is about NT$1.6 billion.
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