Amendments to expand access to priority seats would be proposed as a separate bill to expedite its passage, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said on Friday.
The People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法) currently states that priority seats on public transportation should be set aside for “the disabled, elderly, women and children.”
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has repeatedly stated over the years that it would like to add the phrase “people in genuine need” to expand eligibility, rather than removing the seats entirely as some have advocated.
Photo: CNA
Drafts were submitted to the legislature in 2022 and in September last year, but as they were paired with other, more complicated changes, lawmakers have been unable to reach a consensus.
With the start of the new legislature earlier this year, any bills that failed to pass from the previous session must be resubmitted.
The ministry therefore plans to propose the priority seating changes as a separate bill in the hopes that it could be passed sooner, Chiu told reporters following a news conference in Taipei on Friday.
It is to submit a draft to the legislature as soon as possible, he added.
The announcement is the latest regarding controversy around priority seating following two violent incidents on the Taipei MRT in the past two weeks.
On Tuesday last week, a 25-year-old woman on the MRT Red Line refused to yield her seat to an 80-year-old woman, contending that she was exhausted after a 12-hour shift.
The woman then physically assaulted another elderly passenger, an 80-year-old man, who attempted to intervene.
After MRT staff mediation, the man agreed not to seek legal action if the woman apologized, which she did when the three passengers involved in the incident alighted at the next station.
On Tuesday, a 29-year-old man on the MRT Green Line, who claimed that he had diarrhea, was slapped by a 75-year-old man for refusing to yield his seat.
The incident sparked further quarrels among passengers, including one who shouted "You don't have many years left to live” to the older passenger.
The two incidents were among 22 reported disputes between passengers over priority seats this year.
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