Hundreds of taxi drivers protested outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday, accusing the ministry of costing them more than NT$500 million (US$16.5 million) in lost revenue over the past six months after it failed to install new meters in their vehicles.
The protesting drivers lined their taxis up on Renai Road Sec 1, disrupting the flow of traffic one of the main roadways in downtown Taipei.
The National Taxi Drivers’ Union, which organized the protest, said that Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) last year promised that the ministry would subsidize the installation of new meters in cabs after the distance-based electronic toll collection system was launched in January this year.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Yeh said the ministry has failed to deliver on its pledge, which led to a shortfall in fare collection totaling more than NT$500 million.
While the National Freeway Bureau proposed a fixed-price method for calculating toll fees on freeways, the union said Department of Railways and Highways Deputy Director Wang Mu-han (王穆衡) supported the “pay-as-you-go” method, a position the union said was taken to favor certain taxi meter manufacturers.
The union also criticized the ministry for allowing illegal taxis to flourish, citing the rise of Uber, a mobile app that connects passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire, or carpooling services.
It also petitioned the ministry to push the retirement age of cab drivers to 70 and implement regulations allowing them to be employed by two taxi firms simultaneously.
In response to the union’s demands, Wang said the ministry would continue to crack down on illegal cab drivers, adding that it has initiated consultations with other government agencies on the legality of Uber.
The ministry official said that the application primarily offers two kinds of services: high-end car rentals and cab rides, and therefore must adhere to national regulations governing these two businesses.
“If Uber is operating as a car rental firm, it is required to know the whereabouts of its drivers and should not let them take up assignments on their own,” Wang said. “The company also needs to be able to present all of its clients with the orders, invoices and receipts for serviced rendered.”
Similarly, if Uber works as a taxi company, Wang said it needs to charge customers based on metered fares and not offer discounted rides.
Wang then turned to the protesters’ accusation that he was favoring particular meter manufacturers, saying that he does not decide on the specifications of the taxi meters by himself.
Wang said that both the fixed price and distance-based charging schemes had inherent advantages and disadvantages.
“The problem is when taxi drivers use the freeways. If the distance-based charging scheme for tollways is adopted, drivers would have to remember to switch off the electronic toll collector when they are not driving on toll roads and switch it on again when they go back on to toll roads. Some drivers may find it a hassle,” he said.
“On the other hand, implementing the fixed-price method would require the installation of GPS systems, which may result in additional expenditure for taxi drivers,” he said.
According to Wang, the Department of Railways and Highways is scheduled to finalize the specifications on taxi meters next month.
He also said that a task force comprise of medical experts is deliberating whether setting the retirement age at 70 is a viable option health-wise.
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