The Maokong cable car system will go into service officially on Wednesday, and according to Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin （郝龍斌）, the city government is assessing the feasibility of installing air-conditioners in the cable cars in response to test riders complaints that it was too hot inside the cars.

Hau, however, said that if the assessment suggests that the cars should be air-conditioned, the installation of the cooling systems would not be completed for a few months yet.

Two panels have been removed in the lower half of the shutters and replaced by slats that allow better ventilation in all the cable cars, the mayor said. To temporarily cope with the heat in the initial stages of operation, the city government will also distribute 400,000 hand fans to passengers, Hau said.

The mayor also said that the city government had set up a contingency team to tackle any emergency situations that may arise on the cable car system in the future.

The Maokong cable car system, which cost NT$1.3 billion to build, aims at providing transportation for visitors to the cultural Maokong area which attracts tourists to the famous tea houses and mountain views. The cable line is 4.3 kilometers long with four stations at Taipei Zoo, Inside Zoo, Zhinan Temple and Maokong. The cable cars run at a speed of three to five meters per second.

Fares are set at NT$30, NT$40 and NT$50 for a one-way trip, according to the stops, and can be paid with the Easy Card that is used on the MRT and Taipei City buses. The one-way lift along the entire line will take about 20 minutes.

The system is managed by the Taipei Rapid Transport Corporation which is also responsible for running the MRT.

The system will be in operation from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Local police warned passengers on Tuesday not to illegally park their cars along the red or yellow traffic lines in the areas surrounding the cable car system as they will be towed away. The police also urged passengers to take public transportation to the Maokong cable car stations, especially on Saturday when the nearby city zoo is usually crowded.

However, some concerns have been raised regarding noise, safety and impact of the cable car system on the quality of life of people in the area.

Noting that the Maokong area is susceptible to lightening strikes, Taipei City Councilor Lee Ching-feng （李慶鋒） raised the question of why earlier inspections of the system had overlooked the lack of a lightening strike detecting system and accused the city government of "treating residents as guinea pigs."