New bus stop buttons tell passengers’ fortunes

New bus stop buttons tell passengers’ fortunes

2026-01-09

People taking Taipei bus No. 611 have recently noticed that the stop request button has changed. It now has a circle around it with different options, like “get 100 on a test” or “find love.” When passengers press the button, a light circles around it, eventually landing on one of these options. This fortune-manifesting stop request button has been set up on more than 50 buses. Passengers are excited to press it and see what their future holds.

That’s right, even buses can predict the future now. Whether you want to score 100 on an exam, stay safe and healthy, or find love, press the stop request button to find out your fortune.

I’ll press it in a bit to see.
You’re curious to press it?
Yeah. I realized it’s different from before. If I’m sitting close to it, I’ll press it to see what’s different.

Do you want to press it?
No, because this one is closer.
It’s more practical.
Yeah.

Do you want to press it?
I can give it a try!

When they first notice the new button, some people even take a picture of it. At the end of 2025, Shin-Shin Bus Co introduced new electric buses. They added this fortune-telling stop request button to increase passenger interaction, and many people can’t get enough.

Wang Ting
Bus driver
One time when a passenger was getting off, he didn’t get to press the button. Since we were stopped at a red light, he asked me if I could close the doors and let him press it again, because he wanted to see what his luck was like that day and if he would find love after getting off the bus.

When another passenger pressed it, it said they would win the lottery. When the bus doors opened, a lottery store was right outside.

Wang Ting
Bus driver
When the bus doors opened, there was a lottery store right there. The passenger was so happy, they said they were going to buy a lottery ticket!

People are excited by this change on the bus, making their daily commute more interesting. Currently about 50 buses in Taipei have this fortune-telling button, including buses 611 and 287. If you’re lucky, you could have your fortune told on your next bus ride.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#bus #busstop #publicbus #fortune #fortunetelling #stoprequestbutton #Taipei #publictransit

奇景! 公車業者推"算命下車鈴" 能算愛情.財運

2026-01-09

最近不少民眾搭台北611公車，發現下車鈴變得不一樣了，旁邊多了一圈，有"考試一百分"、"下車遇到愛"等，原來客運公司為了增加和乘客互動，推出算命下車鈴，目前共有50多輛公車裝設，試用後不但乘客搶著按，甚至有人沒按到，還拜託司機讓他再按一次。

你沒看錯，下車鈴也能算命，看要考試一百分，平安健康，還是下車遇到愛，按下去就知道。

- 等下可以按按看
- 還是會好奇按按看
- 對，就是會發現跟之前不一樣，如果坐得近就會按按看，看有什麼不一樣

- 會想去按嗎
- 不會，因為這個比較近
- 實用為主
- 嗯

- 會想去按嗎
- 可以嘗試啊

民眾都說，還是第一次知道，還有人特別拍下照片留念，欣欣客運去年底，引進新的電動巴士，為了增加和乘客互動，想出算命下車鈴，還真的有不少人搶著按。

[[欣欣客運駕駛長王鼎]]
“有一次乘客要下車了，他沒有按到，他就在講說拜託可不可以讓我，因為剛好遇到紅燈，乘客就說可不可關個門，然後讓我再按一次，我想要看一下我今天運氣如何，看會不會下車遇到愛”

還有人按到彩券中大獎，沒想到公車門一開，剛好就是彩券行。

[[欣欣客運駕駛長王鼎]]
“剛好車門打開，剛好是一家彩券行，然後乘客就很開心，就下車，我要買彩券，我要買彩券這樣”

算命公車鈴，類似泡沫紅茶店，常能看到的投幣占卜機，不過，目前只有50多台公車，包括611、287公車，想搭公車算命，還得先碰碰運氣！

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

Related News

Search for Air Force pilot enters fourth day

2026-01-09

102-yo shocks adult children with marriage to caregiver of 17 years

Does proximity make the heart grow fonder? The nine children of 102-year-old Mr. Wang were shocked to learn that their elderly father had married his 68-year-old caregiver of 17 years. They found out when the youngest son wanted to visit their dad in central Taipei on Thursday, only to be denied entry to the apartment by Ms. Lai, the former caregiver who is now his stepmother. She even hired another caregiver to take over her job. The marriage was confirmed to be legitimate, but Mr. Wang’s children believe Lai had taken advantage of their aging father, and are taking the matter to court. Let’s take a look at our exclusive report.

- Ms. Lai, we’re here to see dad. You can’t stop us from visiting my father!

The youngest son of a 102-year-old man is paying a visit, only to be denied entry by his caregiver, who’s hired another caregiver to take over her job. But that’s not the most shocking part. The caregiver is now his stepmother.

- The borough official told me that as his spouse, I have the right to refuse.

The younger Mr. Wang was exasperated that he was barred from entering his father’s residence in central Taipei. He also strongly doubts the caregiver’s motive marrying his father.

Wang Feng-shou
Mr. Wang’s youngest son
My father’s 102 years old. He got married, and none of us nine children knew. Would you find this to be reasonable in any way?

The elder Mr. Wang’s rapidly declining health put him under long-term live-in care. His children found out that the marriage was registered only on Monday Jan. 5.

Wang Feng-shou
Mr. Wang’s youngest son
Ms. Lai did all she could to stop us from taking our father back to his hometown, so he could be surrounded by our extended family. She only admitted that she’s now the spouse of his. I was so shocked, and so was the police.

The younger Mr. Wang said that on Jan. 8, he and his siblings arrived at their father’s place to take him out for a walk. To their bewilderment, his caregiver tried to stop them, and so they called the police. When the police arrived, they were shocked to learn, upon an ID inspection, that Lai was married to their father. She revealed that the registration was completed three days before, and as his spouse, she had the power to make decisions on his behalf. She retorted that after the elder Wang was sent to ER when he fell down last June, the doctor advised him against going out to crowded public spaces.

Wang Feng-shou
Mr. Wang’s youngest son
We were on the right side in the beginning. But after she showed her ID, I told the police that there’s nothing I can do at this point. This is a civil case now. You can’t imagine just how greedy she is.

Lai had been Wang’s live-in caregiver for 17 years. Considering their father’s rapidly deteriorating condition, the children had applied to gain guardianship of him in November. They did not imagine that he would get married before the court made a decision on the case.

Wang Feng-shou
Mr. Wang’s youngest son
Over the years she’s taken care of my father, he’s gained seven properties and about NT$80 million in insurance coverage under his name.

According to the Household Registration Office that approved the marriage, Mr. Wang was coherent in making statements, and so the marriage was legal and valid. Still, it’s a nasty surprise for the kids, who were completely left in the dark and are now taking the matter to court.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#legal #civilcode #marriage #professionalethics #ethics #caregiving #family

2026-01-09

Car flaying ‘gas pump hose’ drives on streets of Changhua

2026-01-09

Scam questions after customer sent home with orange instead of chestnuts

A person recently bought some roasted chestnuts from a vendor outside of a department store in Kaohsiung. But when they opened the package at home, what did they find but a single orange inside. The annoyed customer went online to ask if a chestnut vendor can even count as a scammer. That same day inside the exact same department store, another customer grabbed a few boxes of expensive imported strawberries, but only paid for a box of cookies at the checkout.

Small black stones toss around with chestnuts in a roasting barrel while the vendor cracks each one to make them easier to deshell. The smell draws you in, even from across the street. But when one customer brought home a NT$150 bag from a stand in front of a department store in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District, they were in for a surprise. Inside weren’t chestnuts, but one single orange.

Member of public
It’s ridiculous. So silly. They got scammed.

Member of public
The vendor probably just wasn’t careful. They sell chestnuts. How come there was an orange?

We went to the vendor in question, but they weren’t there that day. So we asked other chestnut vendors if the orange could have gotten into the bag by mistake.

Other chestnut vendor
I also find it hard to believe. Maybe his mind was elsewhere while he was working. He only recently started selling here again. There have been long stretches he didn’t come before. He’s only here sometimes, not often.

But it wasn’t all squared away inside the store, either. On the same day, a supermarket employee found out that a customer filled their shopping bag with expensive imported strawberries and cherries, but when they checked out, they only paid for a box of cookies.

Member of public
It’s too much. You shouldn’t do that. It’s several thousand dollars’ worth of stuff.

Lu Ho-lin
Local police officer
Our station has yet to receive a report about this matter. We’ve already contacted the store and asked that they come to the station to file a report. We are already reviewing surveillance footage and working to identify the woman in question, who will then be arrested on suspicion of theft.

An orange for a chestnut outside of the store, and boxes of strawberries for one box of cookies inside. People online are wondering just how outrageous this story can get.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Kaohsiung #theft #scam #chestnuts #orange #strawberries #supermarket #oddity #Zuoying

2026-01-09

Tainan sign advertising divorce becomes tourist attraction

2026-01-09

Rare ‘panda blood’ donor rolls up sleeve at Keelung blood drive

2026-01-09

Taichung university opens daycare center for faculty and staff

Figuring out childcare is a daily struggle for most double-income households. Seeking to provide better support for its faculty and staff, National Chung Hsing University is the first national university to set up an employee daycare center. This reduces the burden of childcare for parents working at the school, helping them focus on work knowing their children are safe and sound.

National Chung Hsing University’s daycare center is officially open! With its orange pillars and gray-striped walls, it warmly welcomes the children of faculty and staff.

Jan Fuh-jyn
University president
There’s a lot of pressure on teaching and research at the university, so women professors suggested that if the school has a daycare center, it would make them more willing to have children.

Kids play happily on the daycare center’s lawn. Now their parents can go to work without having to worry about childcare.

Ms. Lin
I think I’m really lucky. It’s so great to have this family-friendly workplace. Having this facility makes me want to have children soon. I could leave them here and focus on work with peace of mind.

The daycare center looks after children aged up to two years old, and has a teacher-child ratio of one to four. As a quasi-public institution, it’s partially supported by the government. The university also offers faculty and staff childcare discounts ranging from NT$500 to NT$1,000 a month.

Liao Ching-chih
Taichung Social Affairs Bureau director
The quasi-public childcare model means that if parents send their children to the daycare center, we will subsidize NT$14,400 per month, reducing their financial burden.

The daycare center can accommodate 60 children, split into four classes. While children of university faculty and staff are given priority, any remaining spots are open to the public. As children’s laughter fills the campus, faculty and staff can work knowing their children are not only safe, but close by.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#university #childcare #daycare #NationalChungHsingUniversity #NCHU #family #familyfriendly #children

2026-01-09

Birds locked in wrestling match, another watches

Two birds, known as common mynas, were spotted in an intense wrestling match near the Gaoping Old Iron Bridge, and watched intently by a third. The mynas seemed unafraid of people approaching them. Interesting as the spectacle might be, experts say that the common myna are an invasive species that threaten the survival of the endemic Formosa crested myna.

Is this the birds’ very own WWE? It’s a heated showoff between two contestants.

One is clearly at an advantage, constraining the other, which can’t seem to free itself no matter how hard it tries.

Meanwhile, a third wouldn’t stop chirping as it watches. It’s hard to tell whether it’s cheering on the game or urging them to stop fighting. Regardless, the match continues, even with people approaching.

- The two are fighting.
- One referee.
- One is the referee.
- There are three.
- It’s not a fight. It’s a date.

Onlookers all seem to be amused. This scene took place right by the Gaoping Old Iron Bridge on the Pingtung side. Their chirps fill the air throughout the area. These birds, known as mynas, are aggressive by nature, and often engage in fights like this.

Hsiao En-pei
Pingtung Wild Bird Society
The common myna is an alien species. It’s not uncommon to see them fighting on another. They might fight over territories or mates. The male and female look the same, so it’s hard to tell whether the one watching is a jealous female.

According to the expert, both the common myna, such as the ones in the video, and the Javan myna are invasive species, distinguishable by their yellow-colored beak. On the other hand, the endemic Formosan crested myna has a whitish beak. Though most people may find the fight amusing, it’s actually a worrying sign for experts.

Voice of Lee Chin-hsing
Former director of Birds Taiwan
Their numbers have exploded to the point that it’s unsalvageable. Particularly, these mynas reproduce very quickly, leading to the displacement of endemic mynas.

Though it may be amusing to watch common mynas fight, it’s also a worrying sign for the local ecosystem.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#animals #birds #myna #crestedmyna #wildlife #endemicspecies

2026-01-09

Visitors flock to see colorful bald cypress trees in Yunlin

2026-01-09

Donut fetches NT$500 in resale market in Kaohsiung

2026-01-09