TAIPEI — Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSR), which operates Taiwan’s bullet trains, is set to implement stricter smartphone use rules than in Japan from Sept. 22, including forcing passengers off the train.
The new rules prohibit passengers from speaking loudly on calls, and watching videos or listening to music on smartphones without muting the sound. While Japanese rail operators also seek to maintain a quiet cabin environment, the Taiwanese measures are particularly strict as passengers may be asked to disembark if they do not comply with crew instructions.
According to THSR, the regulations will require passengers to use earphones or headphones, or mute their devices when viewing videos or listening to music. Phone calls must be made in the vestibule area.
To “avoid affecting other passengers,” the railway operator can refuse boarding to violators. While small children may be calmed with stickers or cookies, understanding is sought from other passengers.
On Taiwanese social media, most comments welcome the change, expressing sentiments like, “Happy for a quiet THSR” and “Hope they deal firmly with noisy passengers.”
The about 350-kilometer THSR line, which opened in 2007 using technology from Japan and other countries, runs north-south between Taipei and Kaohsiung. According to Taiwanese media, a THSR executive emphasized, “There is no reason to use electronic devices without earphones.”
(Japanese original by Teppei Hayashi, Taipei Bureau)
Taiwan High Speed Rail to implement stricter smartphone use rules than in Japan
