US-based ride-hailing company Uber Technologies announced that it will return to the local market tomorrow, with a new business model focused on cooperating with vehicle rental companies.
Uber on Monday sent invitations to media outlets for a news conference tomorrow at which it is to announce its return, saying that the move was at the urging of its supporters in Taiwan.
It is also to reveal details of its business model and a new Uber application, the company said, although it said that it would no longer work with individual drivers, but rather with the car rental industry.
At the same time, Uber said it would provide services in remote townships and villages and pledged not to break any laws after restarting operations.
Uber suspended services in Taiwan on Feb. 10 due to the staggering amount of fines it and its drivers had accrued for violations of transportation service regulations.
The firm was deemed to be illegally operating transportation services, because it was registered as a provider of information services.
Uber refused to comply with government demands to register as a transportation business, saying that it was not a taxi service.
As of late December last year, Uber had accumulated fines of NT$68.45 million (US$2.23 million at the current exchange rate) for 481 violations, while its drivers had been fined a combined NT$20.83 million.
The maximum fine for the operation of illegal passenger transportation services on Jan. 6 was increased to NT$25 million, and Uber was found guilty of an additional 48 violations, resulting in an estimated NT$1.1 billion in fines.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said the ride-hailing service will remain on the right side of the law as long as it sticks to cooperating with car rental companies.
However, the ministry said that Uber still has NT$800 million in unpaid fines.
The Directorate-General of Highways said Uber must comply with the regulations if it reopens, and vowed to pursue payment of the unpaid fines through administrative means.
The agency said it told Uber last month that because it is registered in Taiwan as an information provider, it can only offer “technology services” if it wants to operate legally.
If Uber plans to work with rental companies, it has to post the names of the companies and drivers it works with and the fees it will charge on its app, the agency said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS