Taiwan The Latest To Crack Down On Uber: Report

Authorities in Taiwan have declared the Uber ride-sharing service illegal, after issuing around 63 fines to its operators.

Bloomberg reports that the country’s Transportation And Communications Minister has announced the service violates Taiwanese law, and that operators can expect more fines if they continue.

“The business model they’re operating is illegal,” Minister Yeh Kuang-Shih reportedly said in a telephone interview. 

“Uber doesn’t have any transportation-related service licence and actually Uber is doing transportation service.”

The Minister said Uber itself has been issued with 30 fines totalling around AU$100,000, and a further 33 fines totalling AU$64,000 have been issued to the service’s drivers.

Drivers caught operating the ride-sharing service in Taiwan without the appropriate permit can also expect to lose their licence for two months.

Taiwan is now reportedly considering legislative avenues that would make Uber’s website and mobile phone app illegal as well.

The reaction by authorities to Uber’s presence in Taiwan follows questions over its security screening methods generally, after one driver each in India and the US was charged with raping a passenger.

Uber reportedly responded to the Taiwanese authorities, saying it was “disappointed with [the] statement against Uber today [and] following all legal due processes with regards to the appeals”.

In Australia, South Australia’s state treasurer declared the service ‘unsafe and illegal’ in a radio interview, and fines have been issued to drivers in Victoria and New South Wales. 

Image via Jenn Vargas

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