The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday denied that Chinese taxi operators would be allowed to offer services in Taiwan, as has been reportedin the local Chinese-language media, adding that small passenger vehicles from China would be banned from carrying passengers for business purposes.
“The government is entertaining neither a measure nor a proposal to allow Chinese operators to offer taxi services in Taiwan,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that taxi drivers around the nation should not be misled by untruthful information posted online.
According to the ministry, people wanting to provide vehicles for hire must secure specific licenses from the highway administrative authority.
No law allows foreigners or Chinese nationals to invest in the nation’s taxi service. The cross-strait service trade Agreement also does not list taxis as a service that would be open to Chinese investment, the ministry said.
Earlier this week, a report published by the Chinese-language Economic Daily News said that car owners from China’s Taizhou and Wenzhou cities are scheduled to bring their vehicles into Taiwan when they travel to the nation using a cross-strait shipping service scheduled to start next month.
In response, the ministry said these car owners would have to secure permission from the administrative authority if they want to bring vehicles across the Taiwan Strait.
The ministry said the Regulations Governing Road Traffic Safety (道路交通安全規則) require that owners of cars registered in other countries must apply for a temporary vehicle license plate to use them in Taiwan. Such a license plate is valid for only three months and car owners have to return the temporary license plates upon their departure from the nation.
Cars bearing temporary license plates may not be used for commercial purpose, the ministry said.
“That Chinese taxi services will be allowed to start businesses in Taiwan is purely online rumors,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, in other news, the government could soon allow open-top or double-decker buses.
While these two types of buses are commonly seen in popular tourist cities around the world, the government has yet to permit them to be driven on the nation’s streets.
According to the Department of Railways and Highways, the Taipei City Government tried to launch a trial operation involving double-decker buses in 1990, but the service was canceled due to a low occupancy rate.
The department said it decided to amend the regulations after calls from the tourism sector as well as from local governments to reintroduce the buses.
The department has completed a draft amendment of the regulations, which are still open to suggestions for revisions, and will soon be made available for public scrutiny.
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