Official standards for food delivery fees are to be set by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, with implementation expected as early as next month.
The Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee in its last session amended the Transportation Management Regulations (汽車運輸業管理規則), requiring the ministry to set official standards for food delivery rates.
Food delivery companies currently set their own prices.
Photo: CNA
The new pricing scheme would reference rates used by the three transportation industries — automobile transportation, limited-route automobile transportation and container transportation — and take into account that scooters are the primary food delivery vehicle, the amendments say.
Companies could cite fuel, tires, vehicle depreciation, repairs, delivery personnel salaries, incurred costs of operation, maintenance crew salaries, maintenance costs, administrative fees, administrative personnel salaries, depreciation of equipment, management fees, salaries for managers and taxes as overhead costs, the amendments say.
The ministry would only be responsible for setting the standard equation and basic rates, while companies and unions should discuss and finalize the actual fares, they say.
Delivery fees should be calculated as an aggregate of multiple fees, including the base fare, a predefined distance and the lowest amount a consumer should pay after purchasing products and having them delivered, they say.
Base fares should be calculated in kilometers, they say.
Additional fees should be included for deliveries outside the defined distance of the base fare, the amendments say.
The changes would allow delivery workers to charge for wait times, regardless of whether they are waiting for a restaurant to pack a delivery or for the buyer to collect, they say.
Buyers would have to pay an additional set fee for each floor the deliverer has to go up to provide doorstep delivery, they say.
The driver would also be entitled to nighttime and Lunar New Year delivery surcharges, they say.
The National Delivery Industrial Union yesterday said that the amendments provide a legislative basis for food delivery rates and guarantee drivers’ rights.
The ministry demonstrated sincerity with the amendments, which resulted from repeated negotiations between the ministry, the union and business representatives, it said.
It would guarantee delivery workers’ incomes, and allow healthy and sustainable development of the delivery industry, it added.
Uber Eats said it would need to go over the amendments before it could comment.
Foodpanda had not responded to a request for comment as of press time last night.
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