Uber Technologies Inc intends to create a new market and help “smart” cities develop better transportation systems, rather than generate competition, the company’s chief strategic adviser David Plouffe said on Friday.
Many Uber clients are not taxi users and the company provides opportunities for drivers to earn extra money outside their regular jobs, including many taxi drivers around the world, Plouffe said at a technology forum in Taipei.
Ridesharing is similar to, but also different from, hiring a vehicle with a driver, Plouffe said.
Legal rules to regulate a market are important, and Uber would like to help governments change those regulations and lower the entry barrier to the ridesharing market, Plouffe said.
The Taiwanese government has repeatedly fined Uber for violating regulations on managing a transport business and has even considered revoking its investment permit. It has also looked into tax evasion allegations against Uber in Taiwan.
While Uber Taiwan is registered as a software firm, the government wants to regulate it as a transportation company.
Minister Without Portfolio Andrey Tang (唐鳳), who is overseeing digital policy, on Friday met with Plouffe to exchange views on transportation networks and regulations governing ridesharing services.
Plouffe, a political strategist known for his work on US President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, said government leaders should inform the public of their goals and how they plan to achieve them, although they might encounter some resistance.
He said that if Taiwan wants to build an “Asian Silicon Valley” or develop a ridesharing economy or third-party payments, the government needs to have courage and determination.
Government bureaucracy plays a significant role, Plouffe said, and officials need to make plans and set goals along with leaders, so that they can achieve goals together.
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