Bus operators can receive up to NT$1.6 million (US$49,770) in subsidies over four years when they upgrade to electric vehicles (EVs), the Ministry of Environment said on Thursday.
The ministry said that about 12,170 buses would be replaced with electric-powered vehicles between next year and 2030 — when the nation expects all buses to have transitioned to electric models.
Departing from its previous practice of providing subsidies in a lump sum, the ministry said that the new subsidies would be granted based on the electric buses’ mileage or passenger numbers.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
Both city bus companies and operators of intercity long-
distance buses can apply for the subsidies, the ministry added.
Bus operators would have an annual quota of NT$400,000, and they can alternate between the two systems — mileage or passenger numbers — to file for subsidies, Department of Atmospheric Environment Director Tsai Meng-yu (蔡孟裕) said.
Special subsidy rates would apply to cities and counties outside of the six special municipalities, as well as eastern Taiwan and the outlying islands, to encourage all bus operators to switch to electric vehicles, he said.
Bus operators that report an increase in passenger numbers after changing to electric vehicles would receive a special bonus, while those that did not see a boost in riders would receive an amount based on the flat subsidy rate, he said.
Once all the nation’s buses are electric powered, it would decrease carbon emissions by 307,000 tonnes per year and air pollutants by 4,327 tonnes annually, the ministry said.
In addition, bus companies would receive a cash reward of NT$30,000 for trading in diesel-powered vehicles for electric-powered ones, or they can sell their buses to the government for a more significant sum, starting at about NT$190,000, the ministry said.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the