The Directorate-General of Highways has confirmed that car rental service operators working with Uber have been fined NT$3.78 million (US$125,958) for violating Transportation Management Regulations (汽車運輸業管理規則), adding that Uber still owes the government about NT$1.38 billion in fines.
The agency issued the statement after taxi operators accused the government of allowing Uber to use legal car rental operators as a cover for its illegal operations.
In a news conference at the Legislative Yuan on Friday, taxi operators also threatened to hold a large protest if the government keeps allowing illegal operators like Uber to continue operating under the cover of legal operations.
Car rental service operators were fined a total of NT$3.78 million after they started working with Uber on April 13, the agency said in response to the accusation, adding that 42 violations have been recorded since then.
The operators have all paid their fines, it said.
The partnership between car rental operators and Uber failed to meet the legal requirements, the agency said, adding that the owners of the car rental companies have been asked to address the violations.
“Car rental operators must still follow the Highway Act (公路法) and Transportation Management Regulations, despite their partnerships with Uber. We will continue monitoring their business models to see if they have fulfilled the legal requirements. To uphold the legal standards and protect consumers, we will persist in our efforts to crack down on illegal operators,” the agency said.
The Legislative Yuan passed the amendment to the Highway Act, which has raised the fines for illegal taxi operators from NT$100,000 to NT$25 million on Jan. 6.
Uber had previously been fined NT$73.25 million for 513 violations of the act.
It has paid NT$65.46 million so far.
After Jan. 6, Uber was handed an additional fine of NT$1.31 billion for 43 cases of Highway Act violations.
So far, that fine has not been paid, the agency said.
The agency said that it has turned the unpaid fines over to the Ministry of Justice’s Administrative Enforcement Agency to pursue collection through the court system.
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