Long-haul passengers to now transfer at Taichung

Although the mandatory transfer may lessen the salary of coach drivers and inconvenience travel times, U-bus is adamant that in order to prevent accidents caused by overworked operators, a break is necessary.

The transfer will be implemented on highway coach systems that travel from Taipei-to-Pingtung, Banchiao-to-Pingtung and Banchiao-to-Kaohsiung. All routes must make a stop at Taichung and each coach operator is required to take a 30-minute break before hitting the road again. According to coach operators surnamed Lin and Chen, the transfer will lessen their driving hours and decrease their salaries. Both men claimed they've become accustomed to long rides and to take a break after only three hours of driving would take some readjusting. The drivers were quick to acknowledge that safety remains the most important factor.

A passenger surnamed Shu was unaware of the mandate and was confused by the two tickets for the separate rides that were given to her. Other than the minor confusion, station chiefs at U-bus claimed that yesterday's transfers — largely due to a slower weekday schedule — went smoothly.

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