A mobile-phone application developed by National Taipei University of Technology offers a free platform for people looking for others with whom to share a taxi or car.
Department of Electronic Engineering associate professor Huang Shih-chia (黃士嘉) said the application, BlueNet-Ride, was officially launched in September last year, adding that his research team has been studying car-pooling for five years.
“Because not too many people in Taiwan like the idea of sharing a cab or a road trip with complete strangers, we encourage people to organize trips in collaboration with Facebook friends,” Huang said.
“They can use BlueNet-Ride to find people to share a ride when they want to go to a restaurant, KTV bar or a music concert,” Huang said.
“In the same was as on the Facebook and Line applications, people can send instant messages to each other via BlueNet-Ride,” Huang added.
The team said that BlueNet-Ride is different from application-based transport network Uber, whose operation has met with controversy and has been banned in some places.
Passengers using BlueNet-Ride simply share the cost of the cab fare and pay drivers as they would normally, the team said, adding that people do not need to pay to use the app, as it is free to download.
Meanwhile, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with the Changhua County Government to help the ease traffic congestion on New Year’s Eve through use of the app, adding that the system processed almost 1,000 car-sharing requests per day leading up to Dec. 31 last year.
Studies focused on BlueNet-Ride have been published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, the university said.
The technology has been patented in both Taiwan and the US, it added.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
RESTRICTIONS: All food items imported from the five prefectures must be accompanied by radiation and origin certificates, and undergo batch-by-batch inspection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that almost all produce from five Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would now be allowed into Taiwan. The five are Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi. The only items that would still be blocked from being imported into the nation are those that are still banned from being circulated in Japan, the FDA added. With the removal of the ban, items including mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and koshiabura” (foraged vegetables) would now be permitted to enter Taiwan, along with the other
A new tropical storm is expected to form by early tomorrow morning, potentially developing into a medium-strength typhoon that is to affect Taiwan through Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration said today. There are currently two tropical systems circulating to the east of Taiwan, agency forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The one currently north of Guam developed into Tropical Storm Gebi this afternoon and is expected to veer toward Japan without affecting Taiwan, Hsu said. Another tropical depression is 600km from the east coast and is likely to develp into the named storm Krathon either late tonight or early tomorrow, he said. This
DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the