Application of Multicriteria Decision Making to Old Vehicle Elimination in Taiwan

As economic development has accelerated and per capita income has increased greatly in recent years in Taiwan, the number of motor vehicles has also increased remarkably. By the end of 1990, the number of passenger cars registered exceeded 2,330,000, and 19% of them have been in use for more than ten years. Judging from these statistics, the average of passenger cars in urban areas has risen. Some of the major negative influences which these old cars have created are outlined below: (a) Environment: air quality is affected by the increased amount of pollutants emitted in car exhaust as the cars age; (b) Energy: As cars age, the efficiency of energy use decreases in fuel consumption and operation costs; (c) Safety: As cars age, the rate of breakdown rises. This leads to more acidents or, at the very least, traffic jams when a car breaks down and obstructs traffic flow, thus increasing social costs. It is, indeed, necessary to get rid of these old cars. In this paper strategies to eliminate old vehicles have been laid out. Three objectives to be achieved are (a) improving the quality of the environment, (b) decreasing energy consumption, and (c) improving vehicle safety. Coordination with the community during government implementation of the strategy will also be taken into consideration.