Bus drivers take part in realistic anti-terrorism drills

Bus drivers take part in realistic anti-terrorism drills

2026-08-28

Bus operators in Taipei on Friday attended an anti-terrorism workshop hosted by the Taipei Department of Transportation. The activities included realistic situations of attacks, with members of the public acting out the roles of perpetrators and hostages. Special task force members also took part, throwing riot-control grenades to test and enhance a bus driver’s response. Let’s hear more.

Yeh Tzu-chuan
Taipei Department of Transportation
All these situations could arise on a bus. We hope the drills will help drivers learn how to respond to these incidents.

Wei Kuang-nan
Metropolitan Transport Corporation
Drivers are the focus of the training. The first step is evacuating passengers safely, then getting off the bus, turning off the power source, and waiting for firefighters to arrive.

The drills covered all sorts of situations that may happen on the road, from traffic accidents to terrorist attacks. Drivers were taught how to respond to large numbers of injured passengers, and most importantly, how to respond to a fire on an electric bus. In such a situation, firefighters are required to constantly hose down the battery with water to keep it cool, as lithium batteries can get hot and reignite even if no flames are present. Of course, the most important aspect is keeping everyone safe, so evacuating passengers and reporting incidents were a key part of the schedule.

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 #driver #busdriver #driverlife #evacuation #antiterrorism #crash #traffic #lithiumbattery

北市公車聯合反恐演練霹靂小組到場丟鎮暴彈

2026-08-28

台北市交通局28日聯合多家公車業者，舉行反恐演練，現場模擬歹徒脅持乘客，為求逼真，不只有民眾飾演嫌犯以及人質，還有出動霹靂小組到場，並丟擲鎮暴彈，為的就是要強化駕駛員的緊急應變能力。

[[台北市交通局副局長葉梓銓]]
“在目前在公車的環境上容易發生這些事情，所以我們藉由這樣的演練，習慣這樣的部分。”

[[大都會客運協理魏光男]]
“在教育訓練的部分，我們著重於駕駛長，第一個就是安全疏散乘客，第二個就是下大電，第三個就是等待消防隊員來做協助。”

為了模擬公車行駛在路上，可能遇到的各種情況，包括反恐應變，以及交通事故及大量傷病患應變，最重要的還有，電動公車起火的處置措施。消防隊員拉起水線，對著公車不斷灑水降溫，由於電動車使用的是鋰電池，即便已經沒有明火，但仍有可能會因為高溫，再度復燃，因此駕駛長能否第一時間完成乘客疏散，以及通報，也是演練重點。

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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

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Neihu most popular among redesigned wedding photo backdrops in Taipei

After registering their marriage, it’s tradition for newlyweds to take photos with their friends and family in front of the special wedding backdrop set up inside the household registration office. All of the Taipei offices redesigned their displays recently, but some have proven more popular than others. The one in Neihu District had the best feedback. When reporters went to check it out, they found a couple who came there just for the backdrop.

If you were about to get married, which backdrop would you choose to commemorate your big day?

Chou Jung-hsuan
FTV reporter
When newlyweds register their marriage, besides choosing an office that’s convenient or has some special meaning, a lot of couples now choose the one with the best photo backdrop.

Standing among tea fields gazing at Taipei 101 in the distance as the Maokong Gondola goes by—it’s not hard to spot what’s special about Wenshan District. Or you can stand by a building from Bopiliao, which gives Wanhua District its historic flair. All of the household registration offices in Taipei have redesigned their wedding backdrops, sparking discussion online.

Member of public
Finds Xinyi’s backdrop tacky
I think the ugliest right now is Xinyi District. They just have a Taipei 101 with a heart. It looks tacky, like a place tourists would take pictures.

Newlywed
Likes Neihu’s backdrop
We came to Neihu for the backdrop. Since all the other places in Taipei I thought, eh, no thanks.

Newlywed
Listened to wife
I just listened to her.

Before registering their marriage, this couple took a look at all the office backdrops and ultimately decided on the Neihu one as the best place to take photos with friends and family.

Chou Ming-yi
Neihu office director
We wanted a tech-forward look for modern urban couples. So we blended elements of a circuit board from the Neihu Tech Park into the outline of the Keelung Riverfront and cityscape.

Liu Chia-feng
Taipei Civil Registry Division director
Taipei has a diverse variety of designs this time around. We believe the wedding backdrops won’t affect couples’ desire to tie the knot.

Art is subjective, after all. What’s most important is signing your name next to your partner’s on that marriage certificate, taking the first step toward the rest of your lives together.

#marriage #marriageregistration #Taipei #weddingphotos #weddingbackdrop #Neihu

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

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Popular Hualien breakfast shop to take 3-year break for reno

Some loyal food fans have traveled great distances to return to Hualien before a beloved breakfast and brunch eatery closes its doors for three years. The restaurant has been around since 1951, but it’ll be taking a three-year break in order to completely rebuild the structure. Sept. 8 will be the eatery’s last day, so those who delay might just need to wait until 2029 to get their teeth on the shop’s marvelous macarons.

Translated as “Black Tea at the Temple Corner” and serving staples like egg pancakes and Taiwanese-style giant macarons from 6 am to 5 pm, this Hualien restaurant has been a favorite of foodies across Taiwan since 1951. Recently, it’s been especially busy ever since the owners announced that Sept. 8 would be the final day it’d be open.

- Egg pancakes and fried eggs.
- You typically get egg pancakes and fried eggs?
- Yes.
- Isn’t it a shame? Like, won’t you miss it?
- Of course. The people here are incredible.

- You could say I grew up eating here.
- Have you heard that they’ll be taking a break?
- I have.
- And so that’s why you’ve come here?
- Yes.
I order egg pancakes, zongzi or macarons.

This eatery has been around for 75 years. Its most unique aspect is the pipes connected to the ceiling. Starting on the second floor, drinks like black tea and sour plum juice travel down these pipes. But being open for nearly eight decades means equipment has aged, and, to make matters worse, multiple earthquakes have taken their toll. Therefore, the owners decided to re-build the restaurant from the ground up.

- How long do you expect the renovations to take?
- For this place, probably at least three years.
- Three years?
- Two or three years, for sure.
- You’ll re-open at the original location?
- Yes. If not at the original location, then across the street.
- So, you’ll still be in this area?
- Yes.

Loyal long-time customers were worried that the restaurant of their childhood memories was about to disappear. Fortunately for them, the renowned breakfast and brunch shop will open again. Whether that date is in 2028, 2029, or even later, well, only time can tell.

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

#macaron #Hualien #breakfast #brunch #eatery #yum #foodie #food

2026-08-28

Jail cells and painted squares: Taipei smoking areas leave critics fired up

Talk about a smoking hot controversy! Taipei is cracking down on smoking, but some of the city’s designated smoking areas are leaving people pretty fired up. One is located at a 240-year-old historic landmark, raising the question: is the city protecting its heritage, or playing with fire? From smoking spots that are little more than painted squares, to a jail cell replica that got pulled down in less than a month, Taipei’s smoking areas are going up in smoke.

The Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum is a perfectly preserved traditional house in the Min-nan courtyard style. Located in Taipei’s Zhongshan District, it’s free to enter. The architecture is stunning, and so is the fact that the smoking room is inside the landmark.

Chen Yao-chi
FTV reporter
The 240-year-old house recently got a new addition, a smoking area delimited by potted plants. Though most of the building is made in bricks and tiles, the doors and pillars are wooden. Is Taipei playing with fire?

Visitor
Touring landmark
Putting the smoking area in the historic site is questionable. There’s so much wood.

Visitor
Touring landmark
Designating smoking areas is good. Nobody wants to inhale second-hand smoke. But it should be outside, in a separate structure.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an says regular reviews will be conducted. The city now has 267 smoking areas, many of which are getting dragged through the inferno.

Chou Jung-hsuan
FTV reporter
Taipei is investing big in its popular smoke-free city policy. But can you find the smoking area in this car park? No? Look harder!

The smoking area at this car park is simply a square painted on the floor. No walls, no shed. Nothing to contain the smoke. The local councilor offered her blunt opinion on the design.

Hung Wan-jen
Taipei City Councilor (DPP)
It’s beyond the pale. You draw a square on the ground, just like any other parking spot and tell people it’s a smoking area and ask everyone to just go and stand there.

At this other parking lot, at least the area has a glass walls on three sides, and for some reason, three handrails. Online, critics were fuming, saying “So that’s where the MRT handrails went!”

Puma Shen
Taipei Mayoral Candidate (DPP)
The Taipei City Government has put out ideas, but they lack planning and execution. Everyone’s just guessing what the higher-ups want. From the get go, it’s unclear which unit should be in charge of what. That’s how we ended up here. They can’t even provide data when you ask them for it.

The most egregious example, might be the prison-core smoking area set up in Gongguan, with a price tag of NT$140,000. The bars aren’t just reminiscent of a jail, they also don’t block smoke in any way. The fence didn’t last a month, and has been taken down. What a waste.

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

#smokingarea #smokefree #prisoncore #aesthetics #carpark #cityplanning #urbanism #taipei #taiwan

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Kaohsiung streets flooded and then left caked in mud

Residents of Kaohsiung must be getting sick of all this rain. Just a 10-minute downpour is enough to flood their streets, and even though the water quickly recedes, the pavement is left caked in slippery mud. This morning, flooded streets caused commuter chaos and one elementary school even pushed back its first day, but, once again, the commitment of Chiikawa fans never wavers, rain or shine.

Down in Kaohsiung, it was a wet morning, wet enough to cause flooding in sections of the city’s streets. No wonder this car’s windshield wipers are whipping away rain.

Yellowish, mud-filled water is gushing by the truck of this streetside vendor, who, despite his helpless state, still found it in him to take a video of the scene.

Streetside vendor
Sells stuff and saves scooters
The water was rushing down this way. It looks like a river, don’t it? Every time it rains now it always floods. A lot of scooters over there weren’t able to ride past. I even helped lift up one scooter, because if I didn’t it would’ve gotten pushed over and carried away.

Flooding is so severe on this street in Siaogang District that cars and scooters are leaving wakes that would impress a boat captain. Vehicles are being treated to a free drive-through car wash, thanks to passing cars creating ocean-like waves.

After going down a street inundated by muddy water tinged with yellow, this driver said that today driving felt more like piloting a boat. Scooter riders going from the eastern part of Siaogang District to Daliao District had to prioritize safety, as this morning’s downpours left the area flooded.

During the morning rush hour, traffic in both directions had to slow down and proceed with caution. With sections like Yanhai Road turned into shallow waterways, vehicles had to be careful.

This scooter is parked on the side of the road as its driver films the water rushing by. The drainage system isn’t able to deal with this deluge of water, hence the wakes vehicles are creating as they pass by. With all these recent heavy rains, getting to work on streets like Yanhai Road has become a difficult ordeal.

The heavy rain in Kaohsiung on Aug. 28 is a result of the outer bands of Typhoon Saudel and southwesterly winds, which combined to cause flooding.

In Daliao District’s Zhaoming Borough, the roads have become rivers; essentially stuck in their homes, people are flummoxed about how to get to work.

Member of public
Guesstimated height of water
If you walk from over there to here, the water reaches your knees. If you take the other way, it’ll go up to your calves.

The footage of this security camera showed that the rain started coming down a little after 7 am. A 10-minute downpour was enough to create murky floodwater that was mixed with mud.

Member of public
Described wet scene
It’s flooded all the way to here. The entire area is caked in mud.

After the floodwater receded, the streets were left muddy, creating a slippery situation for scooter riders. The area outside of Zhao Ming Elementary School also was flooded today; the student’s first day back at school was abruptly cancelled.

Liao Shih-hui
Principal of Zhao Ming Elementary
Sometime a little after 6 am, we realized that the roads nearby the school had rising floodwater on both sides of the street. We made the call to inform parents that the first day of school would need to be pushed back.

In Lingya District, many scooter drivers suffered through a commute that featured heavy rain. Life was difficult for workers making their way to the office, but things were much merrier for Chiikawa fans who’d gathered at a department store just to get their hands on knick-knacks. Many braved the rain to arrive at 7 am, even though the event started at 9 am.

The line of these Chiikawa fans almost reached 100 meters, proving that, rain or shine, people can’t get enough of these small and cute creatures, which are now in theaters near you.

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

#wet #Kaohsiung #typhoon #rain #flooding #muddy #rainorshine #Chiikawa

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Holiday dessert gift boxes embrace East-West fusion

Competing for a slice of Taiwan’s lucrative NT$5 billion gift market for the Mid-Autumn Festival, bakeries and pastry brands are entering the fray early. This year’s offerings feature many fusion options, such as egg yolk pastries stuffed with pomelo and passion fruit, and pineapple buns with molten filling. One business is stuffing an entire panna cotta into a cake roll, packaged in a traditional gaji shopping bag. Even French sablé cookies are melding with Nantou pineapple and tea leaves, hoping to make for a meaningful gift.

Plump white mochi is tucked inside these Chinese egg yolk pastries, using passion fruit and pomelo to balance out the sweetness. This taro mochi lava pastry uses Western baking methods to make a flaky pastry with rich custard, creating layered textures. And of course, Mid-Autumn Festival isn’t complete without a traditional egg yolk pastry, where a whole salted egg yolk pairs exquisitely with sweet red bean paste.

Cathy Chung
85˚C vice president of marketing
East-West fusion gift boxes are proving popular. Every year, we consistently sell about 30 to 40,000 Mid-Autumn gift boxes. This year, we project revenue for the entire Mid-Autumn period in Taiwan to reach around NT$24 million.

To capture a slice of the NT$5 billion Mid-Autumn mooncake market, one large brand is offering fusion boxes that pair traditional flavors with nontraditional nut tarts, almond slices, and oolong pastries.

Another cake brand is stuffing an entire panna cotta pudding into a cake roll, with Assam tea blended into the sponge. They expect fresh desserts and gift boxes to drive revenue growth of 10 to 20%.

Voice of Kuo Yi-ying
Yannick marketing assistant manager
People prefer to be gifted desserts that are creative and new, providing for richer and more diverse choices. This time, inspired by Taiwanese sensibilities, we put together popular desserts from Taiwan and abroad and packaged them in a traditional gaji bag to make the gift more meaningful.

Charles Huang
Crew’s Dessert director
For this Mid-Autumn Festival, our main highlights are the Taiwan Island Tins, made with local Nantou pineapples and tea leaves. We project revenue this year to grow by about 50%.

This bakery is taking a younger approach inspired by the island of Taiwan, baking local Nantou pineapples into French Sablé Breton pastries to reinvent the pineapple cake. In their cookie tin, they use tea leaves from Nantou to make roasted oolong, sijichun, and earl grey cookies, hoping to put a local spin on this year’s gift giving.

#MidAutumnFestival #MoonFestival #giftbox #pastries #pineapplecake #eggyolkpastry #mooncake

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

2026-08-28