In response to errors in the electronic toll collection (ETC) system for national freeways which was implemented nationwide last month, Premier Jiang Yi-huah at today's Cabinet meeting ordered that transaction errors be immediately corrected and citizens reimbursed for mistaken deductions to their accounts.
The premier also tasked the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau (TANFB) with supervising Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co. (FETC) to ensure the company strengthens ETC verification mechanisms and stabilizes the system.
Reviews and improvements should be completed as quickly as possible, and the TANFB must fully perform its inspection duties to avoid similar incidents from occurring in the future, Jiang added.
"The FETC's system was hacked. Although it quickly recovered and operated normally again after the company launched security mechanisms, such incidents should be prevented because the freeway ETC is a very important transportation payment system and citizens' rights and interests as well as the security of their personal information are at stake," the premier pointed out. He asked investigative units to make a total effort to detect the source of the hacking and instructed the MOTC to reinforce ETC cyber-security.
Jiang also instructed the MOTC to demand that FETC obey its contractual obligation to help arrange new jobs for toll collectors made redundant by ETC within the accorded time limit. The MOTC should keep track of these workers' circumstances afterward as well, he added.