Starting on Nov. 10, high-speed rail passengers with reserved seats would be required to exchange their tickets to board an earlier train.
Passengers with reserved seats on a specific train are currently allowed to board earlier trains on the same day and sit in non-reserved cars, but as this is happening increasingly often, and affecting quality of travel and ticket sales, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced that it would be canceling the policy on Nov. 10.
It is one of several new measures launched by THSRC chairman Shih Che (史哲) to improve the quality of service, it said.
Photo: Huang Yi-ching, Taipei Times
The company also said it would start designating non-reserved seating trains during peak travel hours next year.
It originally allowed passengers with reserved seats to board earlier trains in the case of a last-minute scheduling change, but hundreds of people are taking advantage of the policy every day, affecting ticket sales and quality of travel, the company said.
The original reserved seats are wasted and cannot be resold to passengers in need, and overall quality of travel is impacted when capacity is strained on earlier trains due to the additional passengers, it said.
According to Article 17 of the THSRC Passenger Transportation Contract, tickets with reserved seats would only be valid for the date, train and route specified on the ticket.
Tickets without reserved seats would be valid for the date and route specified on the ticket, offering passengers flexibility to board any train that day, but without the guarantee of a seat, the company said.
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