1) So today they opened the high speed rail (bullet train, like Japan's Shinkansen) for ticket purchases. The train itself won't run till Jan 5, 2007, but today is the first day for tickets. The machine used to give change can only give change in $5 NT coins (1 USD ~ 32 NT) and not $10 NT coins and that's pretty much like getting rid of the quarter. Moreover, since bills are usually in $100 NT bills, people complained of too many coins they had to carry from the change.
Moreover, the system governing the ticket machines crashed multiple times. Assuming the ticketing system worked, it took roughly 5 - 10 minutes on AVERAGE for a person to buy a ticket. Even if you were rehearsed in the way the system works, it takes at least 3 minutes. This compares to the less than 1 minute to buy a traditional train ticket, and the 10 seconds it needs to take to buy a subway ticket (timed by the news report with footage included). So tens of thousands of people complained that they could not buy a ticket because of the massive lines and system crashes.
2) A few days ago they had the biggest lottery in Taiwan and the system crashed multiple times. As a result people could not buy tickets properly. Yay for computer crashes.
3) The clock for New Year's Eve countdown in one city was totally off due to a system crash and it was 14 minutes behind. As a result the mayor was leading the crowd in singing songs up on the stage well into midnight. The pyrotechnics went off at midnight and the crowd including the mayor was confused why fireworks were going off. They later realized that they missed midnight and the crowd demanded a new countdown. In fact there are now complaints that they want a NEW PARTY.
Moreover, the system governing the ticket machines crashed multiple times. Assuming the ticketing system worked, it took roughly 5 - 10 minutes on AVERAGE for a person to buy a ticket. Even if you were rehearsed in the way the system works, it takes at least 3 minutes. This compares to the less than 1 minute to buy a traditional train ticket, and the 10 seconds it needs to take to buy a subway ticket (timed by the news report with footage included). So tens of thousands of people complained that they could not buy a ticket because of the massive lines and system crashes.
2) A few days ago they had the biggest lottery in Taiwan and the system crashed multiple times. As a result people could not buy tickets properly. Yay for computer crashes.
3) The clock for New Year's Eve countdown in one city was totally off due to a system crash and it was 14 minutes behind. As a result the mayor was leading the crowd in singing songs up on the stage well into midnight. The pyrotechnics went off at midnight and the crowd including the mayor was confused why fireworks were going off. They later realized that they missed midnight and the crowd demanded a new countdown. In fact there are now complaints that they want a NEW PARTY.