The Taipei Metro would not enforce its advisory against using power banks, it said on Saturday evening after its announcement of the new regulation on Friday sparked public and political backlash.
The Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) on Friday issued an advisory urging people not to use power banks in the MRT system, citing incidents in which power banks spontaneously caught fire, endangering passengers.
The policy immediately sparked public backlash, with critics accusing authorities of overreacting, and city councilors across party lines voicing doubts and opposition.
Photo courtesy of the TRTC
TRTC convened an emergency news conference on Saturday,
stating that there is currently no legal basis to prohibit their use and that it would not explicitly stop passengers from using power banks.
The advisory was intended to raise public awareness of the risks of using power banks, TRTC said, apologizing for any misunderstanding.
Stations across all lines have already set up metal buckets, tongs, heat-resistant gloves and water to help staff respond to emergency situations, it said.
If a power bank ignites or smokes, it would be handled in accordance with the fire department’s recommendations, it added.
The sudden regulation is an overreaction by the Taipei City Government, Social Democratic Party (SDP) Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) said on Facebook, calling Taipei a “ban-first city.”
The Taipei MRT needs to clearly define what kinds of power banks are prohibited, otherwise people could be confused about unclear rules, leading to conflicts, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said.
Without clear rules or enforcement, the advisory would not actually help safety, Lin said.
There have only been five cases of power banks spontaneously igniting over the last three years, an extremely low incidence rate, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chan Wei-yuan (詹為元) said.
Many countries focus on
isolation and control, or banning specific types of power banks, rather than across-the-board restrictions, Chan said.
The sudden restrictions left metro staff unclear about enforcement, inspections and authority, reflecting a pattern of rushed policies without supporting measures by the Taipei City Government, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞) said.
While Chen said he supports stronger management, he said that a blanket ban was an overreaction.
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