A candidate for the Banqiao District council has floated the idea of a small-scale community bus service — good news for commuters and for residents of neighbourhoods set back from the main thoroughfares.

• Banqiao has the MRT, Taiwan Railway services and a dense bus network, but full-size buses cannot get into the narrow lanes of residential communities, leaving residents with a walk before they can catch anything.
• The proposal is to run nine-seater minivans or bus-style "little yellow" shared taxis on a "Riverside Loop", starting with a trial in the newer developments on the north side of Jiangcui.
• On weekdays it would carry people to work, school, medical appointments, shopping and transfer points; at weekends it could flexibly link up with the 435 Art Zone.
• It is positioned as filling gaps rather than competing for passengers: large buses stay on the trunk routes while the minibuses go into the neighbourhoods, and existing routes such as the 307 would not be replaced.
• The idea arose after Li Si-chuan, the Kuomintang's candidate for New Taipei mayor, mistakenly said in recent remarks on transport in Taipei and New Taipei that part of the 307 bus route runs on the freeway.

Outlook: If elected to the council, the candidate would first conduct a survey of residents' needs and gather actual ridership data before deciding whether to formally launch the service.