2026 ELECTIONS/Ho proposes bus reforms; Chiang outlines smart safety network in Taichung

Taichung, Oct. 19 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party Taichung mayoral candidate Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) proposed bus service reforms Monday, while her Kuomintang rival Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) outlined an AI-assisted public safety network.

Ho's proposals focused on increasing passenger capacity, upgrading the city's official bus app, reorganizing routes and improving drivers' working conditions.

Ho, who took a Route 301 bus as part of a campaign event, said the replacement of articulated buses with smaller electric buses had reduced passenger capacity without sufficient increases in services or driver staffing.

Articulated buses could carry up to 141 passengers, compared with about 60 on a conventional electric bus, she said. As a result, passengers at intermediate stops, including those serving Taichung Veterans General Hospital and Tunghai University, were struggling to board crowded buses.

Ho pledged to ride public transportation periodically if elected to assess services from the perspective of commuters and address problems.

At a separate policy presentation, Chiang proposed a "Taichung smart safety network" covering policing, social welfare and disaster resilience.

His plans include strengthening coordination through the city's smart city development committee and establishing a sovereign AI and big data center to integrate data and analyze risks while complying with legal requirements and protecting privacy.

AI sensors could help detect unusual activity patterns among older people living alone, he said. The proposed network would integrate information on the finances, childcare needs and mental health of families considered at high risk.

Chiang pledged to give frontline social workers and nursing personnel a greater role in decision-making, address staffing shortages and protect their rights.

Other proposals include strengthening disaster prevention and response cooperation through a regional governance platform in central Taiwan, expanding AI-assisted water management and introducing smart noise monitoring.

Taiwan's 2026 local elections will be held on Nov. 28. They are also known as the "9-in-1" elections because voters in the country's 22 cities and counties will elect officials to nine types of local government posts, including city mayors, county magistrates, and city and county councilors.

Other positions up for election include township chiefs, chiefs of Indigenous districts in special municipalities, township and Indigenous district councilors, and borough and village chiefs.

In all, the elections will fill 11,051 posts at all levels of local government.