Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) has pledged to launch a bus reservation system if he is elected Taipei mayor, but his critics said the proposal was impractical.
Chiang, the KMT’s candidate for Taipei mayor in the Nov. 26 local elections, on Friday said he has discussed with New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the KMT a plan to establish a “Taipei-New Taipei City transportation committee,” which could offer new ideas on ticketing and bus services.
He said the two cities’ bus routes could be better integrated and public transportation stations’ resources could be shared.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Bus services could include an online bus reservation system, allowing people with disabilities, elderly people, pregnant women, and parents with a stroller to take the bus safely and comfortably, Chiang said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤), who manages DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung’s (陳時中) election campaign, yesterday said Chiang’s proposal is difficult to understand.
Chiang speaks as if his “life experience is similar to that of ordinary citizens,” Wu said, urging him to explain how his plan can be executed.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
She asked how seats on a bus full of passengers during rush hour can be reserved.
Some elderly or less privileged people could be less digitally literate, so they might not be able to reserve a bus seat online, Wu said.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊), a potential candidate for Taipei mayor, said every candidate can put forth policy ideas, but the plans should be responsible and executable.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Taipei and New Taipei City already have joint programs, including a monthly public transportation pass, she said, adding that Taipei also has a “leaping frog” system, in which buses run through remote or mountainous areas where demand is weaker and allow passengers to make reservations.
It would be difficult for people to make reservations for metro buses, which run at shorter intervals and often carry many passengers, Huang said.
“I wonder if people should make reservations for Mass Rapid Transit trains too?” she asked.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party candidate for Taipei city councilor Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱) wrote on Facebook that Chiang’s proposal was “meaningless,” as metro buses might arrive at bus stations at irregular times, depending on traffic.
She asked what passengers would do if they make a bus reservation, but another bus that travels to the same destination arrives first, or if a bus arrives, but the passengers who made the reservation are not at the station, or whether a reserved seat should be left unoccupied if a passenger with a reservation does not take the bus.
Additional reporting by CNA
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