Uber in Taiwan, Taxi and Technology

At Uber, we do the right thing, period.  

Since draft regulation 103-1 was announced in February, there has been a lot of misinformation and false allegations made about our fully compliant business model, our partnerships with rental car companies and taxis, and what we should or should not do.  Much of it has been based on a fundamental misunderstanding of Uber as a technology company and incorrect assumptions of Uber’s current operation model. We want to set the record straight, and remove any ambiguity about our commitment of serving the people of Taiwan and our existing transportation partners.

“Uber is fully compliant with local regulations.”

Any allegation that we are operating illegally in Taiwan is false. Under the current legal model we agreed with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in 2017, Uber has never been fined. Of the 100 audits conducted by the MOTC over the last two years, there has been no violations that suggest our partnership with rental companies is illegal or non-compliant. At a meeting with MOTC on April 9, 2019, we were – again – told we were compliant.

“Uber needs to register as a taxi dispatcher.”

Uber does not operate as a taxi dispatcher anywhere in the world. Uber and taxis can co-exist, without Uber being a taxi dispatcher. Pairing technology with tech makes taxis safer, more efficient and increases taxi driver earnings. In Singapore, for our example, our partnership with ComfortDelGro saw driver daily earnings increase by 19%; and in Japan where we have partnered with taxi companies in 8 cities.  In one month, one of our taxi partners, Fuji Taxi saw a 25% increase in utilization for their drivers. In other countries, Government recognizes Uber as a technology company, and we have not been asked to register as a taxi company or a dispatcher – but rather to pair our tech with the existing infrastructure so that everyone wins.

“Uber either has been regulated as a transportation service in many countries or had pulled out.”

Uber welcomes being regulated as a transportation company where jurisdictions set regulations that embrace technological advancement in transportation.  Many cities around the world have already established or amended existing transport regulations to create room for ridesharing or e-hailing services including the US, UK, China, Singapore, Philippines, France, Germany, and Belgium. Governments around the world have embraced the diversity of the transportation ecosystem and allowed for Taxi, Transit, Rental and Ridesharing (or Ride-hailing) to play a role. People all over the world are asking for more options when it comes to getting from point A to point B.

“The only path forward is for Uber to register as a taxi dispatcher and for e-hail platform drivers to join multi-purpose taxi.”

The current regulations do not allow platform or rental car drivers to easily transition to become taxi, and they do not allow for dynamic or upfront pricing, or a flexible working model. To do so would not help anyone including the consumers who would lose access to safety features, dynamic pricing and mapping. Nor would it help the taxi industry to have an influx of extra taxi drivers to compete directly against. Uber is a technology company, we do not operate anywhere in the world as a taxi company or a dispatcher. To make such a demand without thinking through consequences to all relevant stakeholders including Uber, small to midsize transportation operators, and drivers who have invested incredible time and capital behind this fully compliant model sets a very bad example of a responsible government.

Taiwan is running against other countries in the global innovation race.  To truly build a digital Taiwan and realize all the business potential brought by innovative services in the development of smarter cities and e-commerce, there must be open dialogue to foster the right policy environment. Together it is possible to achieve a solution that doesn’t limit innovative transport options for the future. So let’s partner on a path forward that ensures no one loses. #WinTogether