New technologies facilitate transportation

This article was written by Owen Chu and published by Taiwan Journal on November 5, 2004. It is about Taiwan's recent experiment with the so-called intelligent transportation systems (ITS), which encompass a broad range of wireless and wireline communications and information technologies.

In 2002, the Institute of Transportation (IOT) of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) completed a two-year study on how to apply ITS technologies in nine different categories, including traffic management, traveler information, commercial vehicle operations, public transportation and electronic payment. In 2003, the first ITS module was developed to help Taiwan's taxi industry, with the goal to enhance the industry's management efficiency and to improve the island's traffic conditions. More details are provided in this article.