Three Taiwanese lawmakers want those caught driving for Uber to be fined as much as NT$25 million ($780,000) and to have their licenses suspended. Uber is currently available in four Taiwanese cities and has been downloaded by over 1 million people in the nation of just over 23.5 million.
An Uber driver in Taiwan was quoted as saying at a press conference in Taipei, “The amount left me stunned. Did we commit murder or arson? Even drunk drivers are fined only NT$90,000.”
Ruling party lawmakers Ker Chien-Ming, Wu Ping-Jui and Liu Shyh-Fang reportedly wrote that Uber infringed on the rights of more than 80,000 taxi drivers, along with breaching Taiwan’s highway, competition and foreign investor regulations laws.
Here are the numbers:
NT$25 million | Proposed fine for Taiwanese drivers caught working for Uber ($788,000)
NT$90,000 | Fine for drunk driving in Taiwan ($2,800)
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>23.5 million | Taiwan’s population
1 million | Number of Taiwanese downloads Uber boasts
4 | Number of cities where Uber is available in Taiwan
80,000 | Number of taxi drivers of whom lawmakers claim Uber infringed rights
