Taiwan will invest NT$4.2 billion (US$145 million) in developing smart transportation in the next four years so that it can better serve disadvantaged people, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said on Thursday (July 9).



The planned investment will be a continuation of its current 2017-2020 transportation improvement project and will focus on the needs of people living in remote areas as well as senior citizens, the ministry said in a report presented during a Cabinet meeting.



Also in the meeting, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said the investments will include allocations to improve the design of traffic networks and vehicle use.



He noted that in his hometown, for instance, there is a shortage of manpower and transportation services.



Su said people can often see "an aged driver carrying passengers with a combined age of more than 1,000 in their aged vehicle" in Pingtung County in southernmost Taiwan.



Smart transportation developments could include car sharing, integration of different transportation services, and use of new technology such as 5G, according to the ministry.



The current plan has laid a good foundation for cross-department collaboration, Su said, expressing hopes that the MOTC could also develop a forecast system for traffic flows during holidays and devise more effective traffic control measures.