Taichung City Councilor Chou Yung-hong (???) on Wednesday called for the city to amend its bus company inspection standards, following a deadly accident in which a mother and her infant child died.
Late Tuesday evening, an Iraqi national identified by the Chinese surname Chi (?) was injured and his 30-year-old wife and 1-year-old son killed when a bus made a left turn, hitting the family as it crossed the road.
In response to the tragedy, Chou implored the city to upgrade its bus operating standards and safety ratings system.
Chou said Taichung released the results of a city bus service evaluation on Dec. 19, classifying 11 out of the 17 companies operating in the city as A grade.
However, of the 11 operators that received an A grade, Chou noted that Zhonglu Traffic & Transport Co., Ltd. has been reported for kicking passengers off their vehicles, Taichung Bus was embroiled in an incident when one of its drivers assaulted a passenger, and Fengyuan Bus was responsible for the fatal accident on Tuesday.
This shows the city’s inspection standards are in need of an urgent overhaul, he added.
Taichung’s buses are notorious for being late and drivers harassing passengers verbally and physically, Chou said.
The Taichung City Government has provided subsidies worth NT$3 billion (US$97 million) per year since 2019 and should demand bus operators perform to a higher standard, Chou added.
He implored the local government to amend the guidelines and adopt policies such as performance point deductions, financial penalties, and removal of popular and lucrative routes as punishments for misconduct.
In response to Chou’s proposals, the city’s transportation bureau said it will step up the monitoring of bus operators and require related companies to provide their drivers with safe bus driving training.
The bureau also said it plans to enhance criteria for bus safety inspections.
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (???), who visited the mourning family at China Medical University Hospital, said the city government will continue to follow the case as prosecutors conduct their investigation.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel