Uber Taiwan said it would continue operations in Taiwan despite amendments to the Highway Act (公路法) that take effect today and raise the maximum penalty for illegal taxi service operators to NT$25 million (US$782,179).
The amendment, passed by the Legislative Yuan last month, was officially promulgated by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday.
“We have yet to obtain relevant details from any government agency. We are, however, sorry to hear that President Tsai signed the amendment to the Highway Act. This move would kill Taiwan’s chance to become the Silicon Valley in Asia and prevent the nation from benefiting from the sharing economy,” the company said in a statement.
“We are in the process of setting up meetings with government agencies to talk about legal solutions to the ride-sharing business in Taiwan. Uber is dedicated to serving the Taiwanese market and we will continue our support for more than 10,000 Uber drivers and more than 1 million Uber users,” the company added.
Uber Taiwan and its drivers had accumulated fines of NT$92.07 million as of Friday last week, Directorate-General of Highways data shows.
The company has paid NT$68.25 million so far.
Apart from increasing the maximum penalty from NT$150,000 to NT$25 million, the amendments allow the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to fine illegal ride-sharing operators a minimum of NT$1 million.
The maximum penalty would be handed down to illegal ride-sharing operators if they have contravened the act more than six times or three times within six months.
The maximum penalty can also be handed down if the ministry finds an operator has committed a severe violation of the act or relevant regulations.
Should operators refuse to pay fines, the ministry can order them to cease operations and request that a court detain their assets.
The fine for individuals working for illegal ride-sharing operators is NT$100,000 with a suspension of car registration and driver’s license for four months. They can receive a maximum penalty of NT$200,000 if they have violated the act more than five times or more than twice within six months.
The ministry said that it will use rules similar to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法) to give a monetary reward to people who report ride-sharing operations.
A small portion of the penalties would be set aside as rewards, the ministry said, adding that it would cap the money given to those who report illegal operations.
Further details would be disclosed next month, the ministry said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS