Uber Technologies Inc yesterday expressed alarm at looming regulatory tightening that could threaten its revamped ride-hailing business model in partnership with local car rental operators and taxi fleets.
The company has become aware of rumors that government regulations on its business model are to be tightened, adding that these changes could impact livelihoods, Singapore-based Uber Asia-Pacific director of government relations and strategic communications Emily Potvin said in a teleconference.
While Uber can play a crucial role in helping the nation digitize the transportation industry and wider economy, there needs to be a conversation with all stakeholders, including government agencies, regulators, consumers and industry representatives, Potvin said.
“We need to have a seat at the table,” Potvin said, adding that a public consultation period would go a long way in moving things forward.
Uber’s technology is capable of harnessing the rapidly increasing demand for rides and sustaining a healthy market that is large enough for the entire transportation industry, Potvin said.
“The company is just as concerned about the diminished income of taxi drivers,” she said, adding that the transportation sector should not be a zero-sum game.
Drivers using the company’s UberTaxi service have seen their income rise as the result of the company’s technology, Potvin said.
Uber is fully committed to Taiwan and being a good corporate citizen, following its return to the nation in April last year, Potvin added.
“We started a new chapter last year and aim to be fully compliant with Taiwan’s regulations,” she said.
However, taxi drivers remain dissatisfied about the company’s concession to forgo enlisting private cars on its platform and subject itself to further regulation by working with licensed taxi drivers and car rental operators.
There are rumors that the government might impose on Uber the same regulations as coach bus operators, which require that each ride exceed an hour and that each vehicle must return to the rental company’s lot before picking up another fare, Potvin said.
That would pose as a major obstacle for Uber’s operations, as well as unnecessarily increase road usage and emissions, Potvin added.
The company is also exploring ways to launch UberFlash, a service that allows consumers to hail the nearest vehicle whether they are a ride-sharing participant or a conventional taxi, Potvin said.
“First we need to get the conversation started,” she said.
BYPASSING CHINA TARIFFS: In the first five months of this year, Foxconn sent US$4.4bn of iPhones to the US from India, compared with US$3.7bn in the whole of last year Nearly all the iPhones exported by Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) from India went to the US between March and last month, customs data showed, far above last year’s average of 50 percent and a clear sign of Apple Inc’s efforts to bypass high US tariffs imposed on China. The numbers, being reported by Reuters for the first time, show that Apple has realigned its India exports to almost exclusively serve the US market, when previously the devices were more widely distributed to nations including the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. During March to last month, Foxconn, known as Hon Hai Precision Industry
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) yesterday announced the launch of the TSMC-UTokyo Lab to promote advanced semiconductor research, education and talent development. The lab is TSMC’s first laboratory collaboration with a university outside Taiwan, the company said in a statement. The lab would leverage “the extensive knowledge, experience, and creativity” of both institutions, the company said. It is located in the Asano Section of UTokyo’s Hongo, Tokyo, campus and would be managed by UTokyo faculty, guided by directors from UTokyo and TSMC, the company said. TSMC began working with UTokyo in 2019, resulting in 21 research projects,
Ashton Hall’s morning routine involves dunking his head in iced Saratoga Spring Water. For the company that sells the bottled water — Hall’s brand of choice for drinking, brushing his teeth and submerging himself — that is fantastic news. “We’re so thankful to this incredible fitness influencer called Ashton Hall,” Saratoga owner Primo Brands Corp’s CEO Robbert Rietbroek said on an earnings call after Hall’s morning routine video went viral. “He really helped put our brand on the map.” Primo Brands, which was not affiliated with Hall when he made his video, is among the increasing number of companies benefiting from influencer
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) yesterday expressed a downbeat view about the prospects of humanoid robots, given high manufacturing costs and a lack of target customers. Despite rising demand and high expectations for humanoid robots, high research-and-development costs and uncertain profitability remain major concerns, Lam told reporters following the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Taoyuan. “Since it seems a bit unworthy to use such high-cost robots to do household chores, I believe robots designed for specific purposes would be more valuable and present a better business opportunity,” Lam said Instead of investing in humanoid robots, Quanta has opted to invest
RSS