The government is to determine whether Uber has turned itself into a legal operator after reviewing the company’s plans, which Uber is to release today, the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) said on Tuesday.
The ride-sharing service suspended its operations in Taiwan in February after the company and its drivers accumulated hefty fines handed down by the DGH following a move by the Legislative Yuan to raise the maximum penalty for illegal taxi service operators stipulated in the Highway Act (公路法) to NT$25 million (US$818,170 at the current exchange rate).
The amendment took effect on Jan. 6.
DGH data showed that Uber received 35 citations from Jan. 6 to Friday last week, with accumulated fines topping NT$8.3 billion.
The company has not paid any of the fines.
The Administrative Enforcement Agency’s Taipei branch has been asked to help collect payments for 11 of the citations, as their due dates have passed, the DGH said.
Uber on Monday said that it is to resume operations today and would unveil its new business model.
The company said it would work with vehicle rental operators and guaranteed that it would be running a legal business.
The DGH confirmed that Uber has contacted it since last month to ask how it could operate legally.
However, the agency said that it could not tell whether what Uber is planning to do is legal, because it had not seen any details.
Uber can work with local rental car companies, but it must do everything legally, the DGH said.
As Uber is a registered information service provider, not a rental car operator, the company can only create a platform that rental car operators can use to deploy their services and must not dispatch rental cars itself, the agency said.
Rental car operators that Uber plans to work with must inform the public how they plan to charge users, the DGH said, adding that drivers must have valid licenses.
The rental companies must also ensure drivers have health and labor insurance, and they have to keep records of all the rental requests they receive, the DGH said.
Uber’s resumption of businesses and its unpaid fines would be treated as separate issues, the DGH said, adding that it would persist in its efforts to collect unpaid fines.
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
Rallies supporting recall efforts targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as well as a rally organized by the KMT opposing the recall campaigns are to take place in Taipei today. Traffic controls were in place on Taipei City Hall Road starting from 10pm last night, and would be in place on Jinan Road Sec 1 from 8am today, police said. Recall campaign groups in Taipei and New Taipei City advocating the recall of KMT legislators, along with the “Safeguard Taiwan Anti-Communist Alliance” have announced plans for motorcycle parades and public rallies in both cities today. Permission has been granted for campaigners to hold
M1A2T ABRAMS TANKS: Thirty-eight of the 108 armored vehicles were delivered in December last year, with the rest to be delivered between later this year and next year The military is to live stream a round of live-fire training sessions on Thursday featuring its newly delivered M1A2T Abrams tanks, allowing the public to witness the training results firsthand, the Ministry of National Defense said. Based on the ministry’s plan, the live-fire training session, scheduled to take place at an army tank training ground in the Kengzihkou (坑子口) area of Hsinchu County, is to feature the US-made armored vehicles firing their 120mm smoothbore guns at moving and stationary targets, while stationary or in motion. At least one senior government official is expected to preside over the round of training sessions, per
RSS