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UBER driver loses lawsuit against authorities over fine

UBER driver loses lawsuit against authorities over fine

UBER driver loses lawsuit against fine

The Supreme Administrative Court has affirmed a fine imposed on a UBER driver for using his private car unregistered for commercial use to take passengers and charge for the service.

The court ruling said the authorities received a tip-off that Hsiao used his private car to provide cab-calling service on Christmas Eve in 2014. Consequently the Taipei Motor Vehicle Supervision Office (TMVSO) imposed a fine of NT$50,000 (US$1,500) and suspension of his license plate for two months on Hsiao for bleaching the Highway Act by running transportation operation without permit.

Hsiao disagreed and insisted that he was an occasional provider of car-pool service to make extra money, which should not be considered as a business operation. Therefore, he filed an administrative lawsuit against the TMVSO.

But the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that Hsiao’s behavior had violated the law and the penalty was appropriate.

Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) has fined UBER and its drivers an accumulated amount of NT$56.41 million, but UBER’s Taiwan branch has continued to operate and fight the fines at administrative courts.

Uber, which hires drivers who do not have vehicles registered for commercial use, has been ruled illegal by Taiwan’s government.

The MOTC said on Saturday it would step up cooperation next month with the police forces in the cities of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to crack down on illegal Uber services, further intensifying the legality issue of UBER in Taiwan.