To provide Taichung’s university, college, and senior/junior high/vocational school students with convenient and safe public transportation services, the Transportation Bureau of Taichung City Government continues to strengthen the promotion of “Bus Stops in Campus” as a response to the central government's policy. The Bureau has again recently extended Route 249 and Route 301 to Chaoyang University of Technology and Providence University, respectively; and, to meet the school commuting demands, the Bureau also increased the number of services, and adjusted the route or departure time of Route 9, Route 105 (Secondary Line), Route 123, Route 245 (Secondary Line), Route 246, Route 354 and Route 657. As of April, the number of bus routes that enter the campus already increased to 22. This will not only reduce the rate of traffic accident, but also facilitate commuting for teachers and students.
Director General of Transportation Bureau Yeh Chao-Fu expresses that, as most of the buses stopped on roads around the school campus instead of inside the campus in the past, some students had to go to school by private vehicles, such as motorcycles, and this has hindered the possibility of significantly reducing the traffic accident and casualty rates among students. To facilitate commuting to schools by public transportation, the Bureau continues to promote the central government’s “Bus Stops in Campus” policy by adjusting bus routes and developing new routes. Taichung City already has 22 bus routes entering the school campus, including those of Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tunghai University, Chaoyang University of Technology, Asia University, Providence University, Ling Tung University, Nan Kai University of Technology, Guanghua Vocational High School, Taichung Municipal Long-Jin Senior High School, and Taichung Municipal Dadau Junior High School, totaling10 universities/ colleges and senior/junior high/vocational schools.
Director General Yeh expresses that, with the efforts of the Transportation Bureau and many schools over the years, Taichung City has succeeded in gradually reducing the unlicensed-driving problem and traffic accident and casualty rates. According to the data of the Road Safety Information Platform of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, there are, for example, six bus routes stopping at Chaoyang University of Technology and the number of traffic casualties reduced from 1,327 in 2015 to 675 in 2020 with a drop of nearly 50%, showing that this policy really improves the overall transportation safety. In the future, the Bureau will continue to observe students’ commuting needs and encourage public transportation services providers to enhance the service quality.
The Bureau expresses that the City Government has been continuously promoting the “Bus Stops in Campus” policy. In response to it, the Bureau succeeded in adding Route 249 (Extended) and Route 301 to the list as both routes now stop at Chaoyang University of Technology and Providence University, respectively from March 15. In the meantime, the Bureau also obtained the consent of the Taichung Motor Vehicles Office, Directorate General of Highways, Ministry of the Transportation and Communications to assist in applying for the central government’s subsidy, and those who take Route 249 (Extended) from Hsiuping University of Science and Technology to Chaoyang University and Route 301 within the campus of Providence University will have free rides until the end of October. In addition, a new bus route – Route 368 connecting Juye Shalu Station and Providence University will also be launched on April 25. This route will serve students who live in boarding houses nearby and provide them with even more access to convenient public transportation services. Upon the launch of Route 368, the number of bus routes going via the campus will reach 23.
The Bureau indicates that, based on the expanding inventory of all schools’ demands and transportation resources, it has, starting from February, successively increased the number of trips on Route 9, Route 246 and Route 354, and adjusted the departure time of Route 123 and Route 657 to ease the traffic during peak hours for students of Taichung Municipal Cingshuei Senior High School, Chia-Yang High School, Washington High School, Taichung Municipal Dajia Industrial Senior High School, Chih-Yung Senior High School, Taichung Municipal Dajia Senior High School and Tunghai University. In addition, based on students’ commuting demands, some buses of Route 105 (Extended) and Route 245 (Extended) will drive through Taichung Municipal Dadau Junior High School during peak hours starting from April. In the future, the Bureau will continue to monitor teachers’ and students’ commuting demands, do dynamic planning on bus routes, and better allocate transportation resources in order to enhance operating efficiency and increase teachers’ and students’ willingness of taking buses.
The Bureau expresses that, apart from encouraging Taichung City’s buses to enter the school campus, it also strives to obtain subsidies through the city government’s “citizens only” and central government’s “encouraging buses to drive through the campus” programs. The purpose is to provide students with more ride discounts, encourage them to use public transportation services and reduce the use of private vehicles. In the meantime, the Bureau also carried out road safety education to improve the transportation environment and enable students to go to school safely.