Taipei Times
Date: Jun 25, 2020 page2
By: Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, in Taitung Country

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is planning to expand a local carpooling program in Taitung County after it proved effective in meeting the needs of residents in some of the nation’s more remote areas.

Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) made the announcement after inspecting a carpooling service in Yanping Township (延平).

Before the service was launched on a trial basis about two years ago, it would take students nearly two hours to reach school, including a 40 minute walk to the bus stop, the ministry said, adding that older people would carry small stools with them, as it often took them one to two hours to walk to the nearest bus stop.

The government used to believe that the transportation issue in remote areas could be solved by providing a public bus system, Lin said.    [FULL  STORY]