Taxi drivers must up game
As the government sees it, Uber is not really playing the game. Well, this may be true, but the law is there to protect consumers, so why do consumers continue to choose Uber?
One reason I personally choose Uber is simply because it is cheaper, although I cannot deny that it can sometimes be more expensive, at more popular times.
However, I also suspect that another reason consumers choose Uber is because of the service. You do not hear any complaints about the cleanliness or comfort of the cars, the drivers are courteous and polite, and you get the feeling you are being accorded some respect.
Of course, you can get that with the normal yellow taxis, too; some of the drivers are of a better caliber, and some of them do provide a professional and friendly service. It is just that these seem to be relatively few and far between.
Then there are the changes in consumer habits. Online payment, the ability to pay with your card, these are the things that young people are more used to and young people are the main customer group for taxis.
Yellow taxis in Taiwan, on the other hand, have a lot of catching up to do. They still go by the meter and want payment in cash. Yes, some taxis do allow you to pay by card, but these are a minority: Most drivers are still holding out.
I myself have got into a car with the requisite equipment, only for the driver to fiddle around, not sure how to operate the machine. Who knows if it is because they have never used the thing before, or whether they are just playing dumb so that I will just pay by cash, because they think it is quicker. This is, of course, yet another recommendation for Uber.
The government needs to think about how it is that Uber has been so successful in what was already a saturated market. The fact is, even before Uber arrived in Taiwan, the roads were already choc-a-bloc with empty taxis.
My point being, the regular yellow cabs are going to have to up their game, get rid of their old ways of thinking and embrace new technologies and new consumer behavior. Government officials are also going to have to ask consumers what kind of taxi service and payment methods they want to see. If they do not, the yellow taxis are doomed, however much the government tries to keep Uber down.
Lin Chun-chang
New Taipei City
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with