Ride-hailing service Uber on Friday said it would expand cooperation with taxi fleets, vehicle rental companies and transportation authorities to change its operating model and avoid running afoul of the “Uber Clause,” which is to be implemented from today.
The US-based company promised in a statement that it would keep all the popular Uber App features and functions while expanding cooperation with diversified taxi fleets and vehicle rental operators.
It would also work with the government by applying Uber technology in various transportation services, including yellow cabs, rental vehicles and designated driver services, Uber said.
Over the past few years, local taxi drivers have protested drivers using the ride-hailing app who are not licensed taxi drivers.
As a result, Uber began collaborating with vehicle rental operators, but that failed to solve the issue.
Eventually, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications decided to amend the law to ban Uber from offering taxi services through business partnerships with vehicle rental firms.
Article 103-1 of the Transportation Management Regulations (汽車運輸業管理規則), dubbed the “Uber Clause,” was put into action on June 6, with a grace period for Uber drivers to acquire the required business and professional driving license to continue operating under the government’s multipurpose taxi program.
The deadline for the grace period, originally set for Oct. 6, was postponed to today.
Those who contravene the rule face a fine of up to NT$90,000.
Despite opposing the new regulation, Uber has pledged to adopt a new operating model by working with the taxi industry and serving as a technology platform under the multipurpose taxi program, which allows app-based metering, upfront pricing and flexible vehicle appearances.
There were about 12,000 Uber drivers in Taiwan before the clause went into effect, according to data from the Uber drivers’ self-help association.
While about 1,000 drivers were unwilling to work under the taxi program, 7,000 to 8,000 drivers have obtained the required taxi service permits.
However, 4,000 to 5,000 of them have not yet received their taxi license plate due to slow processing at motor vehicle offices, and are unable to offer their services yet, Uber said.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
RSS