Uber is expected to pay a fine amounting to U.S. $1 million for improper registration, which has ignited a public backlash in favor of Uber’s activities in the City.
The government of Taiwan has imposed a fine totaling 1 million U.S. dollars on the app-based cab services since September, as the administration considers revoking Uber’s certification to carry out its operations on the Island. The nation joins a long list of other countries enforcing stiff penalties on the scofflaw company.
The department in charge of highways has recorded 243 fines totalling 32.75 million Taiwanese dollars (U.S. $1m) since September, when the legal penalties on the app-based cab services first started for carrying out operations without sufficient registration.
It is the most recent impediment for Uber, which faces roadblocks in a number of other nations. Just this week five of their staff were taken into custody in Hong Kong and the city of Toronto announced 198 fines against its UberX drivers.
The San Francisco-based organization has been knotted in conflicts with the Taiwanese government since its 2013 launch in Taipei.
According to authorities, Uber has filed its documents with the government as a corporation but has not expressly identified itself as a transport business—a categorization that the company rejects, maintaining it is just a stage that creates a link between passengers and drivers.
Speaking to AFP on Friday, spokesperson for the directorate general of highways, Liang Guo-guo, said “They haven’t registered as a transportation business but they fit into our definition of one.” He added, “So when they carry passengers, it’s a violation.”
According to Liang, authorities “have been discussing eliminating their license.” Explaining further, he added, “But there are some legal and operation rights issues.”
Uber did not respond to email inquiries about the legal consequences and the threat of being eliminated from the Taipei market.
The Taiwanese authorities also discretely fined Uber taxi personnel by issuing 251 tickets totaling $340,000 for unlawfully ferrying passengers.
Hong Kong police ambushed Uber’s administrative center and arrested five drivers in a sting procedure earlier this week on the grounds that they were “illegally driving a car for rental purpose and driving without third-party insurance.”
The occurrence ignited much criticism from the general public, with at least 46,000 citizens signing on an appeal since Thursday to maintain Uber’s business in the southern Chinese city.
Uber is also facing legal disputes in California over the categorization of its drivers.
Last month it postponed its service known as UberPOP in France due to a wave of vicious protests triggered by infuriated taxi drivers.
According to the Wall Street Journal, despite the impediments, it was able to recent raise approximately $1 billion, making the company worth at least $50 billion.
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