Chinese-language signage on public transport nationwide is to be changed to be more inclusive of those with “genuine need” under amendments passed today by the legislature.
Introduced late last month, the amendments are to change the term from “courtesy seats” (博愛座) to “priority seats” (優先席).
Meanwhile, signs designating seats to “the disabled, elderly, women and children” are to be changed to “for those in genuine need.”
Photo: Taipei Times
The changes were passed in the third reading of draft amendments to Article 53-3 of the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法) covering access-free transportation services.
The article currently states that public transportation facilities without reserved seating “shall set aside courtesy seats for the disabled, elderly, women and children at a rate of no less than 15 percent of total seats available.”
Besides changing the Mandarin term, the amendments stipulate that priority seats now also can be used by "others with genuine need," while the 15 percent ratio remained the same.
Additional supplementary measures are to require the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to use the same signage for priority seating on buses, trains and mass rapid transit systems nationwide.
They further require the ministries to create public awareness campaigns and encourage public transport operators to promote understanding and empathy through announcements and staff reminders.
The concept of “courtesy seats” is said to have originated from a United Daily News article on April 2, 1976.
It was first implemented by Taipei bus operators across 2,699 city buses on the one-year anniversary of the death of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to commemorate his “benevolent spirit.”
The seats were legally defined by the Legislative Yuan under the disabilities' protection act in 2013, requiring 20 percent of seats to be designated as “courtesy.”
The ratio was later reduced to 15 percent.
Additional reporting from CNA
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