Brief: Uber returns to Taiwan, but it’s not the same as before

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• Two months after suspending its service in Taiwan, Uber is returning to the island, the US-based startup announced today.
• Rather than allowing any car owner to make money as a driver, the government has forced Uber to change its operations – “we are now partnering with licensed rental car companies to resume serving riders in Taipei,” it said in a statement.
• The move comes “after constructive talks with transportation authorities.”
• But this leaves Uber’s former Taiwan drivers out in the cold.

Uber launched in Taiwan in 2013, but almost immediately ran into trouble, with taxi drivers blocking streets in protest. By the end of 2014, Uber was declared illegal by the transportation ministry. However, Uber continued running with private car owners until mounting police pressure and fines forced its suspension in February 2017.

Source: TechCrunch, Uber

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