Lawmakers serving at the legislature's transportation committee yesterday opposed a request from tour bus operators for government compensation if they agree to replace tour buses that have been in service for more than 12 years with new ones.
"It [acquiring government subsidies] would be an extremely difficult task," said Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Yeh Ying-ching (葉宜津). "We did this before when we tried to solve the issue of illegal shuttle bus operators, but later many came to claim the fund, regardless of whether they had actually replaced their old vehicles."
And rather than offering reimbursement to facilitate the replacement process, People First Party Legislator Lee Hung-chun (
"Tour buses that have been in service for more than 10 years must be inspected more than twice a year," Lee said. "Tougher penalties should also be imposed on those who assist owners of unsafe vehicles to obtain license plates."
The debate over the replacement of old tour buses took place after the Directorate General of Highways (DGH) briefed committee members about its new proposal to better manage tour bus operators.
The proposal suggested that tour buses which have operated for more than 12 years be banned from operating on mountain roads and should only operate in registered urban areas.
Moreover, operators would also have to present maintenance records for the three months prior to any inspection at a local vehicle registration department.
The height of these vehicles must not exceed 3.5m. Starting in 2008, they will also have to pass tilting and rollover tests.
Starting next month, each large-size vehicle must be equipped with a global positioning system. The vehicle's date of manufacture date must also be displayed.
Tour bus operators said that they faced ruin if the government refuses to offer them financial assistance.
Hsu Meng-yu (
He said that the government should subsidize legal operators and regulate the total number of tour buses.
James Chen (陳晉源), director general of the Directorate General of Highways, said yesterday that 3,338 tour buses had been in operation for more than 12 years across the country, accounting for 28 percent of all tour buses in use.
"It is inappropriate for the government to budget additional funds in order to pay for any compensation," Chen said. "We can simply restrict the areas where these old buses could operate."
PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) expressed concern about the nation's capacity to cope with all its overseas visitors, particularly those from China. Starting next year, Taiwan could begin accepting 1,000 Chinese tourists a day.
Janice Lai (
Professor Wei Chien-hung (魏健宏) and Liao Chun-Hsiung (廖俊雄) of the transportation and communication management science department at the National Cheng Kung University also attended yesterday's meeting.
Wei suggested that operators deposit a certain amount of funds before being allowed to start a business as a way to support themselves when they need to replace older vehicles.
"As an incentive, the faster an operator could get rid of old tour buses, the more compensation he could get, and vice versa," he said.
Liao said that theoretically tour bus operators should receive government compensation amounting to NT$2.8 billion (US$8.75 million) for compliance with any new safety requirements.
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