The transportation ministry says it has reached an agreement with tour bus drivers after a protest on Thursday.
During Thursday’s protest, drivers unhappy with the government’s response to a deadly bus fire in July surrounded transportation ministry with 200 tour buses.
24 Chinese tourists were killed on July 19 when a fire broke out on a tour bus taking them to Taoyuan Airport. Tour bus drivers say that officials have failed to protect their reputation amid media reports implying that Taiwan’s tour buses may be unsafe.
Drivers also say that there has been no indication that there were any problems with the bus involved in the fire. Forensic tests have shown that the driver was intoxicated at the time of the accident. But drivers say officials have used the tragedy as an excuse for pulling over buses for random inspections, slapping drivers with fines and threatening their livelihoods.
Bus drivers issued 13 demands, including the cancellation of fines issued after July 19 for problems with emergency exits and the scrapping of rules limiting the number of hours drivers can work while carrying Chinese tour groups. After an hour of talks, ministry officials reportedly agreed to 90% of the drivers’ demands.