Several months ago, the miniscooter craze was noted mainly for its wide popularity in Japan, and for burgeoning sales in Europe and the U.S. Alternately called miniscooters, push scooters, skidboards, kickboards and skatescooters, these small, usually foldable, trendy items are rapidly becoming a very popular means of transport and exercise for many city residents in Taipei. Lately they can be seen everywhere on the sidewalks and in the parks and lanes of the city. Not only sold in bike shops or sports equipment stores, they are also actively marketed through many local convenience store chains. Recently, they were extremely popular items with buyers at the Taipei Cycle Show, the Taipei Sporting Goods Show, and even the Taipei Giftionary Show. Manufacturers have been scrambling to get in on production of the miniscooters while the demand is high.

However, according to a June 1 report in the Taipei Times, an English language daily newspaper in Taiwan, a senior high school student was fined NT$1,500 for riding a "skatescooter" in an MRT station. Apparently, this is the first such incident of a fine being levied. According to the general manager of the Taipei Rapid Transit Company (TRTC), warnings and broadcasts about the ban on riding skatescooters and roller blades in MRT stations are quite prominent. Fines for violations of the rules range between NT$1,500 and NT$7,500. The main concern of the TRTC authorities is that using such equipment inside the MRT stations and on train platforms may be dangerous to passengers entering and exiting the trains.

A current difficulty is that these methods of transport are frequently classified as "sports accessories", and as such the rules for the operation of vehicles do not apply to them. According to the news article, officials from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) are in the process of revising the current regulations. New rules would most likely also apply to other popular types of sports and exercise/transport equipment such as roller blades and skateboards.