Despite strong opposition from Uber Technologies and its drivers, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would early next month announce the final version of an amendment to Article No. 130-1 of the Transportation Management Regulations (汽車運輸業管理規則) once it has been approved at a weekly ministerial meeting on Friday.
The article, which has been dubbed the “Uber clause,” defines vehicle rental services and taxis as different businesses that are subject to separate regulations, and that the former would have to charge passengers by hourly or daily rates.
The ministry had proposed amending the regulations after Uber was found to use its partnership with a vehicle rental business to engage in taxi services, which the ministry said would disrupt the order of the market.
Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Taipei Times
The amendment, which was announced on Feb. 21, has already gone through a 60-day consultation period, which ended on April 26.
The amendment passed a review by the ministry’s legal affairs committee on Friday last week, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
The ministry said it would give Uber and its drivers a four-month transitional period to meet the requirements in the amendment before it would implement fines of between NT$9,000 and NT$90,000 for those contravening the regulations from October, it said.
Knowing that Uber drivers are scheduled to protest at the Executive Yuan today, Wang said that the ministry hosted the news conference to show its unwavering determination to enforce the law.
“We want to tell Uber that it should not harbor any expectation that the ministry would change its position on the issue. The company has been given a way to lead its drivers to the right path. If it wants to continue operating in Taiwan, then it should apply to become a taxi business operator,” Wang said.
To become a taxi business operator in the nation, one needs to have a minimum of NT$5 million in capital and purchase insurance for passengers, which should not be difficult for a company such as Uber, he said, adding that Uber drivers can continue offering a high-quality taxi service if they become legal taxi drivers.
Uber could also become a legal operator by joining the nation’s diversified taxi service program, Department of Railways and Highways Director-General Chen Wen-ruey (陳文瑞) said.
Uber can still work with vehicle rental operators, but it would have to adhere to the amended Article 103-1 in the Transportation Management Regulations, he said.
The National Police Agency has agreed to hold 37 taxi registration certificate exams between next month and September for Uber drivers interested in becoming legal taxi drivers, Chen said.
Both the Taxi Business Association of the Republic of China and various taxi service operators have pledged to set up telephone lines to assist Uber drivers in joining taxi companies, he added.
Chen also said that the ministry would reduce the administration fee of about NT$1,250 for Uber drivers seeking to join the diversified taxi service program.
Directorate-General of Highways Director-General Chen Yen-po (陳彥伯) said that vehicle rental operators working with Uber and other platforms would be asked to provide their business plans, adding that the business plan should include the number of vehicles in their fleet and the vehicles’ license numbers.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS