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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Bus firms to receive subsidies as gasoline prices soar
A bus operated by Fengyuan Bus Transportation Co is pictured in Taichung’s Heping District on Feb. 21. Photo: CNA
By Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Bus companies are to receive subsidies to prevent fare hikes, as global gasoline prices soar amid the war in Ukraine, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai （王國材） said at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.
Wang made the remarks in response to a question by Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） Legislator Hung Meng-kai （洪孟楷） about government measures to alleviate the impact of rising energy prices on the economy.
While bus fares have not yet risen, the increase in costs at the pump could drive up expenses for many Taiwanese who rely on commercial buses for travel, Hung said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications should consider subsidies, tax cuts on gasoline and license plates, and other measures that would help bus companies and consumers at a difficult time, he added.
Wang said that highway buses that sustain losses due to rising gasoline prices are eligible for subsidies that the ministry normally metes out to companies that run a deficit.
However, as local governments collect taxes on license plates, there is little the ministry can do, he said.
The ministry can set the tax on fuel, he said, adding that it would adjust the tax rate after assessing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global surge in oil prices.
Tax cuts for bus firms is one of the measures being considered that can be quickly put into effect, as ministry officials have experience with the implementation, he added.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had limited effect on Taiwan’s air transport sector, as Taiwanese airlines mostly take routes through Frankfurt, Germany, or Vienna, he said.
Taiwan’s maritime transport sector has been affected by supply-chain disruptions stemming from the war, Wang said.
Multiple government agencies and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp （陽明海運） have set up a platform to ensure the supply of essential goods, he said.
The system, which includes mechanisms for stabilizing prices and ensuring that room is allocated for important cargo, has so far proved effective, he said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
