Background
Each city/county in Taiwan has introduced a phone number capable of receiving SMS that gets routed to the local 110 operators. The original intention of this phone number was for use by the deaf, but the government has clarified that all are welcome to use the number regardless of any disability. As a result, you now have the equivalent of a way to text the police for assistance to make a report (or even in an emergency)
The Website
This site makes use of these phone number by:
Detecting your location, matching you with the proper phone number
Providing an easy interface to report common road violations
Providing a place to upload a photo to avoid disputes
The site formats a text message from the information you provide and pastes it in to your SMS application with the relevant phone number. All communications with this phone number are free by law.
My Opinion
I use this thing all the time to report violators. The police will actually show up (in most cases ) and deal with the situation. Unfortunately, the most common result is 勸導, or just asking them to move. This results in the same vehicles doing the same violations DAILY. That’s fine then, I’ll keep calling the police out to deal with the situation. If they want the violations to end, they’ll need to handle it appropriately. That’s not my business.
Sometimes the police will follow up by calling you to ask the license plate number. This is so they can look it up and just call the violator to ask them to pwease pwease move their car sowwy it got repowted. I don’t provide it, because I’ve already left the scene. I don’t even pick up these calls anymore, it’s fine. The number is intended for deaf people anyway, right? So they can text me if they have a question (which sometimes they do).
Give it a try, and feel free to ask me any questions you have. I’ve been using this tool for over a year.
Thanks for this. If there is a car that has been parked behind white lines (allowed right?) but has been parked there for like 10 years and isn’t ever driven, can I report it and get that car towed?
You can, but 廢棄車 would actually be reported to your local environmental protection bureau (not the police). For example, here’s the site for Taipei City: 臺北市政府環境保護局廢棄暨未懸掛號牌車輛管理系統
If you’re not in Taipei, I would just advise googling 檢舉廢棄車 + city name to find the site.
This is also a big misconception. I don’t know if this was ever the case, but it hasn’t been for a long time (or I would make it my full-time job). There is a bounty for reporting environmental protection violations, but there isn’t one for traffic violations.
They’re obligated to respond to the call just like when calling 110. You can follow up and ask for the result and/or ask them to come out again. If not, the responsible officer themselves can be reported (and it does happen).
There’s a vehicle close to the Guandu Costco store, parked besides the MRT line, that has been there for quite some time, with a flat tire, meaning it’s not going anywhere. It’s covered up with a tarp like substance too so I can’t see the license plate.
I’m sure it’s a potential parking space for someone else… I honestly don’t know. It is an eyesore though. You could park like 4 or 5 scooters in it for one, but Costco already provides parking. I guess another “benefit” is that it’s less of a headache if someone needs to do construction (such as resurfacing roads) there, however I’m sure they’ll take care of the problem one way or another if it got in their way.
But maybe the owner could have canceled the title and have it scrapped instead of left there abandoned?
On the topic of should you? Absolutely. I’m sick of people here using public space for their private things. It’s the same as people who live on the 1st floor thinking they own the road in front of it. You’re not entitled to store your car on public land, much less scrap it there because you don’t want to pay to have it taken care of legally.
) and deal with the situation. Unfortunately, the most common result is 勸導, or just asking them to move. This results in the same vehicles doing the same violations DAILY. That’s fine then, I’ll keep calling the police out to deal with the situation. If they want the violations to end, they’ll need to handle it appropriately. That’s not my business.