Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said.
Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month.
International cruise ship operators that make Taiwanese ports their home port should have branch offices or agents in Taiwan, it said, adding that consumer disputes over cruise ship services would be jointly handled by the Port and Maritime Bureau and Tourism Administration, which oversees international cruise ship operators and travel agencies respectively.
Drivers aged 70 or above who voluntarily return their driver’s license can receive a rebate of up to 50 percent if they access public transport systems with their senior citizen cards and join the T-Pass frequent rider program, the ministry said.
The rebate is capped at NT$1,500 per month, and the subsidies to fund the initiative would be available for two years, it added.
All tour buses must be equipped with driver identification devices, which should be kept in proper working condition and provide driver information to a designated platform, the ministry said.
This enables highway authorities to clearly identify drivers, monitor driving hours and ensure road safety, it said.
Separately, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp said that it would slightly raise the number of train services next year following the roughly 5 percent increase in passenger volume as of last month.
People traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday in February could take advantage of “early-early bird deals,” which are designed to encourage passengers to board trains during non-peak hours, the company said.
The company first introduced early-early bird deals for passengers traveling in September and October this year, when the nation had three long weekends.
The discounts for early-early birds have yet to be determined, the company said.
The slight increase in train services is to be implemented to bleed off congestion during peak hours before new trains arrive, the
company said.
The high-speed rail company has ordered 12 new 12-car trains, with the first N700ST train to be delivered by August next year.
The first train is scheduled to go into service in the third quarter of 2027, with all new trains expected to be operational by the end of 2028. Once all new trains have entered service, peak-period train capacity is estimated to increase by about 25 percent.
The company said that it noticed an increase in passengers traveling on Thursdays, showing that more people are opting to avoid train travel on weekends.
The trend could become more obvious when the Tourism Administration implements plans to boost domestic tourism next year, it said.
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