Regulations on color requirements and pricing for taxis might be relaxed if a policy being considered by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications will go into effect in May amid the government’s ongoing tussle with Uber, the ministry said.
The ministry said it submitted a draft policy to the Executive Yuan last month after analyzing similar laws in Malaysia and Singapore.
If passed, taxis would be divided into normal and reserved, with normal taxis keeping their original yellow color scheme, the ministry said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Reserved taxi operators would be free to choose the color of their vehicles and illuminated taxi signs would not be required to be mounted on the roof or could be kept inside the car, the ministry said.
If the policy is approved, normal taxis could nearly double starting prices, the ministry said. For example, the starting price for a ride in Taipei would rise from NT$80 to NT$150.
Under the proposal, taxi operators would also be allowed to post different prices during peak and off-peak hours, but this option is to be predicated by whether a taxi can offer sufficient value in terms of car model, the ministry said, adding that vehicles would not necessarily have to be expensive Mercedes-Benzes or BMWs, but they should be relatively high-class models and not older than seven years.
The proposed scheme would also encourage taxi operators to upgrade to electronic payment methods, allowing customers to pay with credit cards before the journey and just get out at their destinations, the ministry said.
Operators with fleets of vehicles would be encouraged to design smartphone apps to allow passengers to know the model and color of the car that will pick them up, the ministry said.
The policy would offer consumers more choices and allow taxis to operate under a new management method, the ministry said, adding that it was still negotiating with taxi unions and consumer groups.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS