Improving Taiwan's long-distance bus service

Yesterday, a tour bus rammed into a line of cars stuck on the Changhua section of the No.1 National Freeway in the aftermath of an earlier accident. 15 vehicles were involved in the crash, four people were killed and eight injured.

A tour bus driver last month managed to pull over on the highway before falling unconscious because of a stroke. All of the passengers were safe and the driver was hailed a hero.

Another bus driver fainted at the wheel while on the highway last month, but a colleague sitting behind him managed to take control and stopped the vehicle in the middle of the highway.

And on the early morning of Double Tenth Day, another bus careened off a bridge on the highway. Seven passengers on board were killed, and 21 others, including the driver, were injured.

A preliminary investigation showed that the bus hit a small pick-up truck before the crash, but the bus driver said he had no knowledge of such a collision.

A pricing war in the long-distance bus service sector last month saw two major competitors slash their Taipei-Taichung fares to NT$100 per trip — cheaper than a taxi ride from Taipei 101 to the Taipei Railway Station.

The fares seem to be a bargain, but passengers should really wonder how a bus company can make ends meet by offering such “value” rides.

Cost cutting is usually the answer. But how do the bus companies cut costs? Less frequent maintenance work, using cheaper but lower-quality parts and components, fewer drivers and longer working hours — these could be some of the ways that a bus company can cut its costs.

The bus that crashed on the National Day holiday was from a bus company that received a poor rating in last year's examination by transport authorities, who said after the accident that the operator would receive an even worse grade this year.

Its driver might have been tired and fallen asleep at the wheel on a mid-night shift, judging from his revelation that he did not know his vehicle had hit a pick-up truck. The bus company claimed that he had rested for two days before the fatal ride.

There could be many reasons why bus drivers faint while on duty. But we have to ask whether bus companies are giving their drivers necessary medical check-ups regularly to detect any health problems.

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