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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

Taichung Lawmakers Demand More Motorcycle Training Subsidies Amid Shortage

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Taichung city councilors are demanding more government funding for motorcycle driver training subsidies, citing insufficient spots for students.
  • Only 3,500 spots are available for motorcycle training subsidies in Taichung, while over 200,000 young people are eligible.
  • Councilors argue that increased funding from traffic fine revenue is necessary to improve road safety, as training demonstrably reduces accidents.

Taichung city councilors are urging the municipal government to increase subsidies for motorcycle driver training, highlighting a severe shortage of available spots for eligible students. The current program offers only 3,500 subsidized slots, a number that falls drastically short of the estimated 200,000 young residents, including university students, who are eligible for the training.

Councilors Lin Chi-feng and Shih Chi-chang pointed out that the limited number of spots means many local students cannot access the program, even though it's open to students from other cities studying in Taichung. They are calling for the city government to prioritize residents registered in Taichung and to allocate additional funds, potentially from excess traffic fine revenue, to expand the program.

There are over 200,000 potential applicants but only 3,500 spots. We urge the city government to prioritize eligible residents and increase the number of subsidized training slots.

— Lin Chi-fengHighlighting the disparity between eligible applicants and available subsidized spots for motorcycle training.

Data presented by the councilors indicates that motorcycle driver training significantly improves road safety. According to the Transportation Bureau's own figures, trained riders have a 44% lower violation rate and a 16% lower accident rate compared to untrained individuals. The councilors stressed that given this proven effectiveness, the government should ensure broader access to such training.

The Transportation Bureau's own data proves that motorcycle driver training is effective, reducing violation rates by 44% and accident rates by 16%. Given this, we should ensure everyone can receive this training.

— Lin Chi-fengEmphasizing the proven benefits of driver training and advocating for increased accessibility.

Furthermore, councilors highlighted that Taichung collected 2.93 billion NT dollars in traffic violation fines in 2025, exceeding its budget by 583 million NT dollars. They argue that this surplus revenue should be reinvested into preventative measures like driver training, especially since traffic fatalities in Taichung in 2025 reached 291, surpassing the city's target of 267.

In response, Transportation Bureau Director Yeh Chao-fu stated that the subsidy program aligns with national policies from the Ministry of Transportation and the Executive Yuan. He expressed willingness to advocate for more spots and funding if the budget allows, acknowledging the importance of traffic safety education.

The subsidy policy is implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Transportation.

— Yeh Chao-fuExplaining the national policy framework for the subsidy program.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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