SAFETY FIRST: While a drivers’ union has threatened protest action over the policy, the agency said that GPS installations could help rescuers reach accidents faster

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 05, 2019
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

The Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) yesterday defended the implementation of a policy requiring tour bus operators to install a GPS device on their buses, saying that the device has proved effective in enhancing the operational safety of tour buses.

The nation’s highway authority made the statement after New Taipei City Touring-Bus Craft Union for Drivers said that it would mobilize hundreds of tour bus owners to protest against the policy outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications tomorrow.

The ministry should stop the policy, as it is intended to monitor drivers’ whereabouts, the union said.

It is mandatory for tour bus operators to install GPS, the DGH said, adding that the device enables the agency to track drivers’ locations and whether they have exceeded the speed limit or have been overworked.

Drivers could face a fine of NT$9,000 to NT$90,000 if they are found to have disconnected the device from their vehicle, it said.    [FULL  STORY]