Taipei Times
Date: May 07, 2020
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

The Freeway Bureau’s smartphone app, “Freeway 1968 (高速公路1968),” might continue to be used during holidays to warn people of crowds at tourist attractions if the public deems it helpful for stopping the spread of COVID-19, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.

The app, developed in-house to monitor freeway traffic and help drivers avoid congestion, was upgraded and used for the first time during last week’s International Workers’ Day holiday to monitor crowds at travel destinations.

The upgraded app was intended to help curb the outbreak, but some local officials said that it did not always accurately reflect the size of crowds at travel destinations, which might turn away potential visitors.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) said yesterday at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee in Taipei that the ministry significantly improved the app’s functions, despite a chaotic launch.    [FULL  STORY]