Tour bus firms, drivers protest GPS requirement

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 07, 2019
By:: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

More than 100 tour bus operators and drivers yesterday rallied outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei to protest a government policy requiring them to install a GPS device on their vehicles, which they said is designed to monitor their location and could compromise their operational safety.

Lee Shih-chia (李式嘉), chairman of the New Taipei City Touring-bus Craft Union for Drivers, said they are not against having GPS installed in their vehicles.

However, they oppose the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) using GPS to collect evidence of traffic violations, he said, adding that those who refuse to be monitored would receive demerits in their performance evaluations.

The agency had originally said that the devices would be used to only collect “big data,” but they are now being used to collect all sorts of information, even drivers’ work hours, Lee said.    [FULL  STORY]