Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) yesterday said that it would step up a crackdown on illegal taxi drivers soliciting customers at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, with such drivers facing fines of up to NT$90,000.
The airport operator issued a statement following a meeting with several government agencies, including the Administrative Enforcement Agency, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the Aviation Police Bureau, the Taoyuan Police Department’s Dayuan Precinct and the Directorate-General of Highways.
The issue came under scrutiny after National Taiwan University professor Jason Chang (張學孔) posted on Facebook photographs of illegal taxi drivers soliciting travelers inside the airport’s terminals and disrupting traffic outside the facility.
When asked about the problem at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei earlier this week, Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) promised lawmakers that the airport operators would handle the issue this week.
Administrative Enforcement Agency officials and the Aviation Police Bureau launched a crackdown at the airport on Wednesday night, catching three illegal taxi drivers, and seizing their cars and illegal gains.
The Administrative Enforcement Agency said that it has also targeted repeat offenders, restricting them from leaving the nation and seizing their bank accounts, adding that any real estate they own would be confiscated and turned over to the courts.
It could also ask courts to imprison serious offenders, the agency said.
The Highway Act (公路法) could be used to curb the growth of illegal taxi drivers, the airport operator said.
Article 77 of the act stipulates fines of between NT$9,000 and NT$90,000 for illegally operating a taxi, TIAC said, adding that authorities could also suspend or revoke vehicle license plates from one to three months, depending on the circumstances.
The joint operation is to be conducted in a flexible and effective manner, the company said, adding that it would take flight schedules into account.
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