Uber gets back into Taiwan, but there's a catch
Uber is back in Taiwan, two months after it was unceremoniously banned -- but it's not all good news for drivers there.
Under Uber's new agreement with regulators, it only be able to operate again in Taipei by using licensed commercial drivers, rather than private drivers.
"Drivers have to be licensed commercial drivers working for rental car companies," an Uber spokesperson told Mashable.
This effectively blocks regular folk wanting to operate as ride-sharing drivers.
On a statement on its website, Uber announced that it would now be "partnering with licensed rental car companies to resume serving riders in Taipei...after constructive talks with transportation authorities."
According to Likai Gu, General Manager of Uber Taiwan, the company wants to "partner with more legal transportation service partners in weeks and months to come."
Uber first ran into trouble in Taiwan in 2016, after state officials claimed that the company was not operating lawfully.
Under Taiwanese law, taxi companies are legally required to be domestically owned and operated.
Uber was later ordered to suspend its services, after months of police cracking down on drivers in the capital city.
Over a million people in Taiwan have downloaded the app, and according to Uber, over 15 million trips have been taken since its launch on the island some four years ago.
Topics Uber
Yvette is a Viral Content Reporter at Mashable Asia. She was previously reporting for BBC's Singapore bureau and Channel NewsAsia.
