PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BOOST: A total of NT$20 billion would be bugeted for the expansions of Taipei’s and Kaohsiung’s month passes, and a Taichung-centered systemBy Cheng Wei-chi, Ting Yi and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writer
COVID-19: Bus drivers urge speedy payment of relief funds
WARNING: There has been a shortage of bus drivers for years, and firms might not be able to resume services if the drivers move to other jobs, a union chairman said
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
The Kuo-Kuang Motor Transportation Workers’ Union yesterday urged the government to give relief funds to bus operators to cover their drivers’ salaries as quickly as possible after a nationwide level 3 alert for COVID-19 led to a sharp decline in passenger numbers.
Bus companies could previously generate at least NT$12 million (US$434,201) in revenue per day during the Dragon Boat Festival, but last year daily revenue dropped to NT$8 million as many people preferred to use private vehicles due to the pandemic, union chairman Yang Rong-de (楊榮德) said.
2021/03/02 16:56 Wu Pai-ting. (Taipei Police Department photos) Wu Pai-ting. (Taipei Police Department photos) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) A convicted felon was arrested on Monday (March 1) for skipping his quarantine to wander in and around Taipei Main Station for three days. When Wu Pai-ting (吳柏霆), 45, arrived at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Feb. 27, he failed to comply with instructions from epidemic prevention personnel and did not take a special vehicle to his residence. Instead, he took a Kuo-Kuang Motor Transportation Co. bus to Taipei Main Station, where he wandered around for three days. At around 6 p.m. on Monday, police found the man in an underground shopping area near Taipei Main Station, reported Liberty Times. Police said that they will coordinate with Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) staff on carrying out an investigation into his movements over the past three days.
2021/02/13 15:45 (Kuo-Kuang Motor Transportation Co photo) (Kuo-Kuang Motor Transportation Co photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Kuo-Kuang Motor Transportation Co. is operating a bus service package tour from Taipei and Yilan County to Wuling Farm in central Taiwan during the 2021 Wuling Farm Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place from Friday (Feb. 12) to March 1. The farm is a favorite cherry blossom viewing destination for many Taiwanese, as it boasts 21,000 cherry blossom trees, with more than 10 different varieties. The farm is expecting one of the most stunning shows in recent years, with 70 percent of the pink variety having already bloomed, according to the CNA report.