The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday launched a dedicated hotline (0800-365-917), which people could call to report public transport accidents.
The hotline, which is open all day, every day, was created at the suggestion of the Taroko Express train crash survivors.
On April 2, 2021, a Taroko Express train in Hualien County was derailed, killing 49 passengers.
Photo courtesy of the Highway Bureau
A survivor, Chen Peng-nien (陳鵬年) — who lost his family — said that information was chaotic after the crash.
While they were helped by members of the Tzu Chi Culture and Communication Foundation, Red Cross and local governments, there was little assistance from the ministry, he said.
“We learned from a trip in Japan that Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism established the Public Transportation Disaster Victims Assistance Office following the Japan Railway Fukuchiyama Line’s derailment in April 25, 2005, which has become a single point of contact between the government and the victims’ families,” he said.
The office also distributed cards containing the hotline number, allowing people to report major public transport accidents, Chen said.
“We sincerely hope that there never comes a time when people must dial this number,” he added.
The ministry said the hotline was created to handle mainly “Class-A” transportation disasters, such as land accidents with 15 or more casualties, air transport accidents with at least one death and maritime accidents with 10 or more casualties.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said two people would be in charge of answering calls on normal days, and 22 additional personnel would take calls when major accidents occur.
“People can call the hotline whenever they encounter major transportation accidents, regardless of whether the accident is a Class-A disaster,” the minister said.
Aside from the 110 and 119 hotlines, which people could call regarding public safety, and fire and medical emergencies respectively, people can also call Taiwan Railway Corp’s emergency 1933 hotline and the Freeway Bureau’s 1968 hotline.
Asked about the usefulness of the new hotline, which has a relatively longer number, the ministry said that it allows people to report transportation accidents without having to think of which agency to call, adding that the ministry would handle relaying the information to the appropriate agencies.
Department of Planning and Coordination Director-General Chang Chuei-lung (張垂龍) said that the cost of operating the hotline would be about NT$4.89 million (US$153,268) per year.
Personnel taking the calls must decide within 20 minutes how to relay the information to the agency in charge, Chang said, adding that cards containing the hotline number would be available at major transport hubs.
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