Shownotes Transcript
Hi there, you're listening to an all-new episode of news bites!
I'm Jacob Ingram.
And I'm Brody Halverson.
In today's news…
Keelung launches mystery passenger program to monitor bus drivers, and giant goldfish are bad news for lakes.
And in today's tasty tidbit: An animal with three hearts.
Stay tuned for more on those stories, coming up next.
基隆實施"神秘客"計畫提升公車服務 Keelung launches mystery passenger program to monitor bus drivers
Buses are a very important part of public transportation.
In Taipei alone, there are around a million commuters (通勤者) who take the bus every day.
With so many passengers, service quality and safety are essential (必須的).
That's why the Keelung City Government implemented a "mystery passenger" program. 這就是基隆市政府實施神秘客計畫的原因。
In this type of program, mystery passengers are hired to check how well drivers are doing their job without them knowing.
Mystery passengers monitor the driver's driving habits and attitude towards passengers.
The main purpose of the program is to observe the service and conduct of bus drivers.
To the driver, mystery passengers will appear as just a normal passenger.
This means the driver won't know when they are being evaluated.
In November, there were 3 complaints about bus drivers made to the city's hotline.
The first driver skipped stops on the route, causing passengers to miss their bus.
The second driver had a bad attitude towards elderly passengers.
The third driver closed the door too quickly and a passenger was pinched (夾) by the doors.
All three incidents were investigated and proven to be true.
The drivers were given warnings and required to go through counseling (輔導).
Other previous complaints include speeding, running red lights and delays.
The Keelung City Bus Management Office hopes that a mystery passenger program will encourage the drivers to be more attentive (細心) and considerate (周到).
'神秘客'將會不定時搭乘隨機路線。
In contrast to the few reckless (魯莽) bus drivers, most drives are kind and friendly.
There were also reports of compliments (稱讚) made to the hotline.
A particular bus driver, Zhou, was complimented for being kind and attentive.
On the other hand, it's not easy to be a bus driver.
They have long working hours and drive the same routes numerous times every day.
They are under stress to be on schedule, and they can only go to the restrooms when they return to the bus terminals.
They are also seriously understaffed and overworked.
Therefore, some people suggest authorities should improve workplace environments for bus drivers.
Because happy drivers will make passengers happy.
巨大的金魚會傷害湖泊 Giant goldfish are bad news for lakes
Do you have a goldfish?
The goldfish is one of the most common household pets.
Their bright colors are pretty to look at as they swim around in a fish tank.
However, when people are tired of them, they might release the goldfish into a lake or pond. 看膩金魚者有可能會把之釋放於湖泊或池塘裏。
This seems like a good harmless solution, as fish belong in water.
But the situation is actually quite the opposite.
Given the right environment, the goldfish can grow up to almost 50 centimeters and weigh 4 kilograms.
It's unbelievable that a fish that small can become the size of a football!
In lakes, goldfish can root up (連根拔起) plants, consume native vegetation and spread diseases (傳播疾病).
This will cause damage to the native ecosystem (生態).
Researchers are now studying their patterns, finding a method to remove them from the lakes.
They are called invasive species (入侵物種).
The situation is usually created by abandoning pets, just like the green iguana invasion in southern Taiwan.
Green iguanas (綠鬣蜥) were originally imported as pets from South America.
When people grew tired of them, they were just abandoned in the wild.
The green iguana has no natural enemies in Taiwan.
This allowed it to reproduce at an astonishing (驚人的) speed.
There are also some religious parties that practice a ritual which releases captive (圈養) animals into the wild.
The intention (意圖) is good, but it actually causes problems for the local ecosystem.
Recently, many venomous (有毒的) snakes were seen in the mountain areas in central Taiwan.
Local residents reported seeing religious parties releasing the snakes into wild.
The snakes slithered (滑) into houses, causing panic among local residents.
動物專家們請求社會大眾不要棄養寵物。
If you see someone releasing animals into wild, notify the local authorities.
So, in today's News Bites:
Keelung launches mystery passenger program to monitor bus drivers.
The mystery passenger will be on random bus routes to evaluate the driver's behavior.
And,
Giant goldfish are bad news for lakes.
When abandoned, goldfish can grow up to the size of a football and cause damage to the local ecosystem.
Therefore, experts are urging people not to abandon pets anywhere.
趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit
And in today's tasty tidbit…
Did you know that octopuses have three hearts? 你知不知道章魚有三顆心臟？
Two pump blood to the gills, and one pumps it to the rest of the body. 其中兩顆將血液送到鰓，另一顆將血液送到身體的其他部分。
And now for today's joke…
Why did the cow go to outer space?
Because it wanted to see the moooon!
Haha! That is one of the funniest jokes ever written.
I couldn't agree more.
If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [email protected], and you might hear it at the end of an episode!
We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!