Freeway bus companies have agreed not to hike bus fares following emergency talks with Ministry of Transportation and Communications officials on Sunday night, Acting Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday, adding that no increases would be implemented until the Lunar New Year holiday.
Wang made the statement at the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee, where lawmakers asked about a freeway bus fare increase that was scheduled to be implemented next year.
Freeway bus operators had indeed planned to adjust ticket prices, but the bus fares they proposed were all below the price caps approved by the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH), Wang said.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“We understand that the bus operators have good reasons to adjust ticket prices, but taking into accounts various factors, the ministry asked bus operators to postpone the fare increase at least until the Lunar New Year holiday, to which they agreed,” Wang said.
Bus operators were only planning to reduce regular discounts on bus fares, but the ministry nevertheless believed the change would raise ticket prices and affect the public, Wang said.
The highway authority said that bus operators are permitted to raise ticket prices when fuel prices rise above a threshold, but operators do not normally propose fares that exceed the price caps approved by the DGH.
Bus companies usually sell tickets at various discounts, it said.
Companies including Kuo Kuang Motor Transport, UBus Co, Kamalan Bus and Capital Bus have applied for the price caps to be increased in June and September this year, but their requests were rejected by the DGH.
In October, the four bus operators instead applied to reduce fare discounts following a dramatic rise in operational costs as diesel prices hit NT$28 per liter.
Reducing the discounts would raise fares by NT$5 to NT$40, depending on the distance, the highway authority said.
Capital Bus and Kamalan Bus adjusted their prices this month, while Kuo Kuang and UBus were to raise their prices from Thursday and Saturday next week respectively.
However, crude oil prices declined at the end of last month, with diesel prices dropping to about NT$23.2 per liter, slightly easing the burden on bus companies.
Capital Bus and Kamalan Bus have announced a resumption of discounts, while Kuo Kuang and UBus have not yet reached final decisions on the matter.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS