Taiwan’s main railway operators yesterday said that they would seek to reduce ridership on trains to about 20 percent of capacity during the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The aim to reduce ridership is in compliance with Central Epidemic Command Center guidelines, and amid concerns that the virus would spread among travelers and during family gatherings, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said.
Since ticket presale for TRA trains started on May 14, 33,000 tickets had been sold, with a cancelation rate of about 76 percent, the agency said.
The number
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.
Ministry tightens public commute rules
TRAVEL: Eating and drinking onboard trains, highway buses, ships and planes are in general banned, while sales of standing-room tickets for trains have been suspended
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
Public commuters are to observe stricter disease prevention guidelines from now until June 8 after the Central Epidemic Command Center raised the alert level for COVID-19 following an increase in local cases, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
With the CECC reporting six local COVID-19 cases with unknown sources of infection, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that airplane, ship, highway bus and train passengers are in general banned from eating and drinking onboard.
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Premier Su Tseng-chang (front), accompanied by Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, urges public vigilance during a visit to the Central Epidemic Command Center. CNA photo May 11, 2021
Taipei, May 11 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday announced a ban on large-scale gatherings as it tightened COVID-19 prevention measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus amid an increase in domestically transmitted cases in recent weeks.
The CECC asked organizers to halt large-scale indoor and outdoor events those with more than 100 and 500 people, respectively until June 8.
Business venues are also being asked to start monitoring customer flows to maintain social distancing and avoid crowding. (Taiwan into community transmission stage of COVID-19: Health Minister)