The fate of taxi-hailing app Uber in Taiwan remains a point of contention. On Thursday the economics minister, Lee Shih-kuang, said the ministry’s investment commission would not make a decision on Uber’s investment license until proceedings brought by the transportation ministry against the company are completed.
Lee said, "Before the [transportation ministry’s] administrative case is resolved, [Uber’s situation] does not fall under the investment commission’s purview. So we need to wait until the proceedings are completed and we have finished discussions with the transportation ministry on what to do. Only then will the investment commission come into play."
The government had previously stated that Uber was likely to lose its investment license in Taiwan for operating a taxi service while posing as an information services provider.
Uber has proven popular in Taiwan as in other markets. But, like elsewhere, it has also prompted official opposition for circumventing regulations and posing a threat to local taxi drivers.