TAIPEI: Public transport accounts for only an average of 13.4 percent of the daily commutes made by local people on work days, according to the results of a massive government survey released yesterday.

In the survey, Taipei City boasted the highest public transport usage rate among cities and counties in Taiwan, but even there the rate was just 34.1 percent.

Up to 72 percent of the respondents said they commute by motorcycle or car.

Chiayi City had the lowest public transport usage rate at 2.5 percent, while the usage rates in many other areas also fell below 5 percent, such as Yunlin County at 4.8 percent, Chiayi County at 4.8 percent, Tainan City at 4.7 percent, Taitung County at 4.2 percent, Penghu County at 4.1 percent and Hualien County at 3 percent.

The survey, the first of its kind, was conducted by the "Ministry of Transportation and Communications" (MOTC) between October 6 and December 18, 2009 to explore Taiwan's daily commuting methods.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 02/05/2010 page2)