Recently, Taiwanese government announced that the freeway toll stations will all change into the Electronic Toll Collection System(ETC). Now called eTag system, which is an electronic system that, as its owner Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co. (FETC) proclaimed, will increase passing volume of toll stations, save the time of payment, improve convenience and safety, reduce air pollution, and reach truly financial equality. And because of this, Taiwanese government decided to lay off nearly 800 toll collectors, making them wondering for their future.
However, the eTag system now faces great deficits, as the company itself claims(note 1), FETC has already lost 3 billion NTD. Also from the static of current operation of eTag system, provided by Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau, indicating that the rate of usage had risen nearly 20 % between the year 2012 and 2013(the chart), which is the time that Taiwanese government announced the total change of freeway toll stations. The great leap of eTag appliance is not because Taiwanese people favored it, it's because the government forced us to do it. We can even consider this act of government as a violation to our freedom of choice in the Constitution, because we have no other options to choose but eTag system.
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| The chart of ETC(eTag) usage rate |
As for those toll collectors that were laid off by the government, their rights and treatment are certainly not guaranteed by Taiwanese government and FETC. On August, 2013, FETC and the government once promised that they will assist the toll collectors for future transference of their career, but there were only 30 people successfully change their jobs, and the number of the laid off collectors were 244 and more. Now, there are near 800 people waiting for job transference, although FETC still promised to assist the transference, the future of these people lies in darkness. They are mostly low-educated and aged people, it is hard for them to find another stable job in nowadays society. The job of our government is to protect and support our living, and if all these people don't find their jobs, the expense of social security that are going to spend on them will surely be a great burden for Taiwanese government.
In addition to the aforementioned problems, here is a bigger question lies ahead. Why does our government be so persist in collaborating with FETC, the company which had been suffering great deficit from the time Taiwanese government announced the presence of ETC. And just after FETC got the open bidding of ETC, almost immediately burst out the news of SONG,NAI-WU(note 2), the ex- confidential secretary of Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau, accepting the bribe from the tenderer, and try to leak out bidding information to the tenderer. He had been sentenced by Taiwan Supreme Court to serve 12 years in jail. With such flagrant Bribery present in front of their eyes, instead of finding another company, Taiwanese government choose to let FECT keep working on the ETC project. Until now, FECT is still operating on the ETC project, and our government is still trying to pursuade us into believing this company is the best choice for us. How can we trust the government if corruption had brazenly rooted in? How can we depend on our government to protect us if it kept ignoring our right for living and freedom?
Note 1. FECT's claim of deficit
Note 2. Taiwan supreme court sentenced SONG, NAI-WU to serve 12 years in jail because of bribery
References
Development, Toll&Service Div.
Special Report on Electronic Toll Collection --「Public Participation in Build and Operate Project for Electronic Toll Collection System on Freeways」Toll&Service Div.201311/04
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