Lin Chien-ru (林建儒) became a bus driver because he did not want a nine-to-five job, and his patience and passion for his job has made him popular with passengers.
Lin, 37, who always asks younger passengers to give up their seats to elderly passengers via the PA system on his bus, was one of 153 bus drivers and taxi drivers who won the Golden Wheel Award presented by the Taipei City Government yesterday for their professionalism as public transportation drivers.
“Being a bus driver allows me to meet different people and gives me the chance to help others,” Lin said during the award ceremony at Taipei City Hall.
Driving along the same route for the past seven years, Lin has befriended many passengers.
He brought one drunk passenger back to the bus station so that he could get some rest and recover, and always makes sure elderly and disabled passengers are seated before driving off from bus stops.
“Some students or young people love to occupy the priority seats and pretend to be asleep when those who are in need get on the bus. I use my microphone to tell them to stop sleeping and give the seats to others,” he said.
In addition to their friendliness to passengers, Lin and other Golden Wheel Award winners were recognized for their excellent driving records with no traffic accidents or violations in the last three years.
Another Golden Wheel winner Hung Chi-fu (洪麒馥), who has been a taxi driver for 22 years, said female drivers faced danger, especially when dealing with drunk passengers. On the other hand, many passengers have trusted her more than a male driver and preferred to take her taxi.
Addressing the ceremony, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said the city government will continue giving public recognition to excellent drivers to improve the quality of public transportation in the city.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for