The double ten free bus travel "exclusively for Taichung citizens" scheme was launched on January 1st this year but recently, ineligible users were found online requesting for passes registered. When chairing the civic affairs meeting, Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen today (12th) said Taichung passes "exclusively for Taichung citizens" shall only be used by eligible registrants and penalties will be given to any illegal sales for profit making. She requested for enhanced tracking.
The Transportation Bureau said to avoid Taichung pass fraud, the Bureau will check transaction records or conduct onsite inspection of transaction data. According to the "Rules Governing the Taichung Pass," if the pass is found to be transferred to or used by others, riding discounts will be cancelled for one year after the date the spoofing is found and a second time violation will result in discount cancellation and a third time or more violation will cause discount cancellation for five years. Additionally, violators involved in borrowing, transferring and spoofing for profit making or malice interruption of the pass system shall bear relevant legal responsibilities. The public was called to abide by the laws.
According to the Legal Affairs Bureau, spoofing is deemed as a crime of fraud and Taichung pass spoofing for illegal profit making obviously is against the Criminal Code. According to Article 339-2 of the Criminal Code, "A person who for the purpose of exercising unlawful control over other's property for himself or for a third person takes the property of another shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than three years, short-term imprisonment or a fine of not more than five hundred thousand yuan.
A person who takes an illegal benefit in property for him or causes a third person to take it by means specified in the preceding paragraph shall be subject to the same punishment."
An attempt to commit an offense specified in one of the two preceding paragraphs is punishable. An attempt to commit an offense for illegal profit making is punishable.
The Transportation Bureau said the number of registrants for the Scheme now exceeded 1.1 million and 95 registration sites of the Taichung City Government will continuously provide registration services. All eligible citizens are welcome to use these services. The Bureau also reminded that if data is submitted online but registration was not successfully completed, the registrant shall bring his/her national identification card and valid electronic pass to a registration site to complete the registration under the Scheme. Taichung citizens can search for their registration procedure on the website of the "Taichung Pass Exclusive for Taichung Citizens" ( https://idoor.taichung.gov.tw/ ).