It’s been a week since Regulation 103-1 was announced.  Despite our continued efforts to advocate for open dialogue with the authorities, we have not received any feedback.

For months we have raised concerns about Regulation 103-1 because it will devastate consumer choice, fair competition, opportunities for drivers and rental car companies, Uber’s operation, and future of innovation in Taiwan.  We were disappointed with the Government’s decision to enact Regulation 103-1 despite the strong opposition from all.   Enforcing bad policies ultimately drive dissatisfaction to the Government, highlighted in a third party survey.

Key points of the survey released by IX Research include:

  • 77% opposed the amendment, and 60% indicated that their approval of the incumbent administration had lowered as a result of learning about the amendment.
  • 63% indicated that the amendment will have a negative impact on “attracting multinationals to Taiwan,” with other major economic factors such as “innovation” and “fair competition” also seeing negative impact.
  • 13% indicated support for “Regulation 103-1” while 87% for “E-hail Multi Purpose Vehicle Plan.”
  • 80% indicated that they “like having Uber in their city.” Offerings that saw the highest levels of approval were “quality service,” “more job opportunities,” and “route planning convenience,” all of which garnered approval from more than 85 percent of the respondents.

Since 2017, Uber has helped to create more than 5 billion NTD worth of value in Taiwan through our partnership with local small and medium sized businesses.  Uber’s platform is open to taxis and rental car companies in major cities in Taiwan, empowering drivers with flexible working and economic opportunities, and giving citizens access to safe, reliable, and high quality rides.  An unstable regulatory environment and an unwillingness to engage in open dialogue after the enactment of new policies force Uber, along with our partners, to seriously assess alternative operational models and our long term commitment to this market.

From public opinions, petitions, and poll results, we clearly see that people of Taiwan, drivers, and local businesses strongly believe in the potential of technology and innovation.  We still think a win-win solution can be reached but it is only possible with open discussion. We urge the Taiwan government to give all parties impacted by regulation 103-1 a fair chance for open dialogue to establish constructive, positive solutions.