Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin （郝龍斌） on Sunday dismissed local media reports that claimed the breakdown of the Maokong Gondola on July 21 was caused by loose hardware.

The local daily China Times ran a report on Sunday saying that the malfunction of the cable system that left more than 300 people stranded in mid-air for nearly two hours on July 21 was actually caused by loose hardware. The report said that based on inside information, pictures of the broken components showed two visible holes in a black tire. The report speculated that loose screws had perforated the tire, leading to the malfunction. The report made the problems with the Maokong Gondola appear more serious than originally reported by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp., which had originally announced that inadequate pressure in one of the tires may have led to the breakdown.

The China Times report also claimed that the city government issued a gag order to its employees regarding the breakdown, asking them not to disclose any related details to the media.

Surrounded by reporters in Taipei on Sunday morning, Hau stressed that the report does not reflect the truth behind the matter. "The reason of the malfunction has not been confirmed yet; all of the reports are not facts," he said, adding that the city government is still waiting for analysis results by the French manufacturer.

Hau also refuted reports that claimed the city government had issued a gag order on the breakdown of the gondola.

The TRTC announced earlier last week that the cable car service would be suspended every Monday for maintenance starting July 30. Despite several pan-green politicians and the Consumers Foundation strongly urging the TRTC to temporarily close the skyrail for safety reasons, the TRTC said that it is much more ideal to shut down the service one day a week, as continued operation would more likely expose potential snags. The TRTC told reporters that in order to enhance the gondolas operation, it has asked its employees to step out of the control rooms every 30 minutes to examine if there are unusual noises coming from the gondola equipment.

Unusual noises were heard at the corner station before the gondola broke down on July 21, according to the TRTC. It was reported that TRTC staff informed POMA, the systems builder, and the contractor company about the noises, but the two companies ignored the information. The TRTC said earlier that it will claim compensation from the two companies for ignoring the noise problem.