Uber drivers found offering taxi services are from Sunday to be fined for contravening the Transportation Management Regulations (汽車運輸業管理規則), the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
Authorities are to start enforcing an amendment to Article 103-1 of the rules, which was announced in June, after giving Uber drivers a five-month grace period that included a two-month extension.
The amended rules stipulate that taxi and vehicle rental services are separate businesses, and that passengers using the latter must pay an hourly or daily rate.
Photo: Hsu Kuo-chen, Taipei Times
While the ministry did not find Uber’s partnerships with vehicle rental businesses illegal, it said that some Uber drivers have been offering taxi services under the guise of a vehicle rental service, which is against the regulations.
From Sunday, vehicle rental operators working with Uber drivers offering taxi services would be fined NT$9,000 to NT$90,000, the ministry said.
Uber drivers who have not become legal taxi drivers may continue to provide vehicle rental services, provided that they charge customers hourly or daily rates, it said.
The ministry reiterated that the amendment was proposed to uphold its policy that all aspects of a taxi service — drivers, vehicles and service platforms — should be legal.
“We have encouraged Uber drivers to obtain business registration certificates by passing the taxi drivers’ exam. They can also work as independent contractors in taxi companies or as drivers in the diversified taxi service program,” the ministry said.
It added that it worked with the National Police Agency to increase the number of exam sessions so that more Uber drivers can obtain business certificates.
The ministry also amended other regulations, such as those that allow diversified taxi service program drivers to disclose fares in advance to passengers through a smartphone app.
There are about 12,000 Uber drivers in Taiwan, of who 7,000 to 8,000 have secured taxi business certificates, Platform Driver Alliance data showed.
However, only 2,000 to 3,000 of those with certificates have obtained taxi license plates for their vehicles in the past five months, and most operate in Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, the alliance said.
Some Uber drivers have said that the transition period was too short, as it takes a long time to pass the exam and secure taxi license plates, adding that several cities and counties have not released enough taxi license plates to meet demand.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS