US ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc and some of its drivers are facing charges of contravening the Highway Act (公路法) on the first day since a revision of penalties for illegal transportation services was enforced, the Directorate-General of Highways said.
The agency said it was investigating 10 cases involving Uber drivers who face fines of between NT$100,000 and NT$25 million (US$3,126 and US$781,421) if found in contravention of the act.
First-time offenders will be fined NT$100,000 and their driver’s license and registration will be suspended for four months, the agency said.
Repeat offenders face fines of NT$200,000 if they have been reprimanded five times or have had more than two violations within six months, the agency added.
Uber, whose ride-sharing service is illegal in Taiwan, could be fined NT$1 million if it iscaught operating in contravention the revised act.
Aggregated fines could reach a maximum of NT$25 million for more than six breaches or more than three within six months, the agency said.
Uber on Friday said it would continue to support its drivers, as well as its users.
“With these heavy punishments cooperative drivers might not want to continue to work with Uber, but we will continue to support our cooperative drivers and users,” Uber said.
An Uber driver, who declined to be named, said that like many other drivers who were waiting to see the effects of the revised law on Friday, he did not receive service calls that day.
Asked how long he would wait, he said he did not know.
He used to earn between NT$40,000 and NT$50,000 a month by offering ride-sharing services for four to five hours a day, he said.
The Legislative Yuan on Dec. 16 last year finalized the amendment targeting Uber by increasing fines for illegal passenger transportation services to NT$25 million.
The maximum fine for operators of illegal transportation services was raised from between NT$50,000 and NT$150,000.
Illegal transportation operators can be forced to shut down under the revision.
A reward system to encourage people to report illegal transportation services has also been established.
Uber was registered in Taiwan in July 2013 as an information services company. It has more than 10,000 drivers in Taiwan and its app has been downloaded 1 million times.
The government has imposed multiple fines on Uber, but the company has ignored appeals to stop operations, triggering protests from taxi drivers, who have accused Uber drivers of tax avoidance.
Uber has been fined NT$68.45 million for 481 violations and its drivers have been fined NT$20.83 million as of Monday last week.
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