Ride-hailing platform Bolt is subject to an NT$30,000 (US$954) administrative fine in a case involving one of its drivers, who left a passenger in the middle of the road leading to his death when he was struck by passing vehicles.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that the fleet service operator must bear management responsibility, and in the most serious cases its operating licenses could be revoked.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, when a 46-year-old driver surnamed Lin (林) dropped off a passenger surnamed Wen (溫) in the middle of Provincial Highway No. 64 heading toward New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), following an alleged verbal altercation, police said.
Photo courtesy of Bolt
Wen, aged 25, was later struck and killed by four passing vehicles.
It is unclear whether Lin instructed Wen to get out of the vehicle or if the latter exited of his own volition. Police at the time did not provide further details about the incident, but said that Lin and the four drivers who struck Wen are being investigated for negligent homicide.
The criminal case has been handed to the New Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office.
Prosecutors and police yesterday said that the investigation was ongoing and they were unable to provide further details.
Hung Yu-min (洪瑜敏), an official with the Taipei Public Transportation Office, yesterday said that Bolt failed to carry out proper checks on the driver and would be fined under the Highway Act (公路法).
Based on an investigation, Hung said that although Lin was working for Bolt, he had joined other fleets and was taking orders from multiple platforms in a contravention of regulations governing the approval and operation of taxi services.
Under regulations governing the approval and operation of taxi services, a vehicle can only work with one taxi service company for dispatch operations. Also, companies providing such services must first verify that any vehicle they accept has not been registered with another company.
Lin was operating a diversified taxi service, a government initiative in Taiwan that provides a legal income-generating opportunity for drivers who own their own vehicles.
Often referred to as the “Taiwanese version of Uber,” it allows passengers to book rides through online platforms and make payments electronically.
Lin could face a maximum fine of NT$7,200 for leaving a passenger in the middle of an expressway in a breach of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), Hung said.
Authorities are to notify all Bolt drivers and use the case in training to remind them to prioritize passenger safety and handle unusual situations correctly, avoiding refusal of service or leaving passengers stranded.
Bolt in a statement yesterday said that evidence related to the incident was secured by police immediately after it occurred and, as a platform, the company does not possess or control the vehicle’s dashcam footage, which would be handled by the authorities in accordance with the law.
Bolt said it immediately suspended Lin from the platform and further action would depend on the outcome of the judicial investigation.
Department of Public Transportation and Supervision Director-General Hu Ti-chi (胡迪琦) said that most platforms operate their own fleet services, while some platforms collaborate with fleets to assist with information dispatching and matchmaking services.
However, regardless of whether a fleet uses its own platform or partners with other platforms, the fleet remains responsible for management, she said.
If regulations under the Act on Application, Approval and Management of the Taxi Transportation Industry (計程車客運服務業申請核准經營辦法) are contravened, penalties can be imposed in accordance with the Highway Act, Hu said.
Depending on the severity of the circumstances, the highway authority can order corrective action with a deadline for improvement, suspend the entity from accepting further commissions for six months to a year, or revoke its operating license, she said.
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