During the first meeting of the Islands District social advisors after Super Typhoon Saola, the suggestion to hire private vehicles to meet transport needs under typhoon signal 8 was raised.
Every now and then, discussions occur to find ways to strike a balance between ensuring the safety of transport drivers and meeting the inevitable needs for transportation under typhoon signals 8 or higher.
Under such weather conditions, all public transport is suspended. It is at taxi drivers’ discretion to operate or not, but insurance plans do not cover damages or injuries caused by any outdoor activities or movements.
At the same time, the government has always recommended people stay indoors under such weather conditions to ensure safety, although during the impact of the Super Typhoon Saola, the government ordered all casinos to close as soon as typhoon signal 9 was hoisted.
At the meeting, social advisor for the district Ho Chong Chun suggested the government hire or “expropriate” private or social service vehicles to cater to the needs of tourists and residents.
To support his suggestion, he recapped that under the recent super typhoon, the government first relocated people from taxi stands to indoors and issued tickets to them to ensure order.
He even suggested that the government extend this special measure to other immigration checkpoints.
Another advisor, Lo Chung Yee, said that the government should seek ways to ensure that taxi accidents that occur under typhoon signals 8 or higher be covered by insurance policies, so that the needs for transport by tourists can be settled.
She added that the opening of the LRT Barra Station should be expedited to cater to the transport needs under extreme weather conditions.
With a full Taipa line running outdoors, the LRT service is suspended under extreme weather conditions.
