Uber resumes service in Taiwan after 2 months

Taipei, April 13 (IANS) Ride-hailing service Uber on Thursday announced its return to Taiwan, ending a two-month suspension after being hit with millions of dollars in fines by the government.

In a statement, the company said its return came after "constructive talks" with authorities in Taiwan, and explained that it would be using a new business model, partnering with licensed rental car companies to resume services in Taipei, Efe news reported.

"Today we are so happy to be with you and so excited to be working with the Ministry of Transport to bring Uber back. It makes today’s moment that much more special for all of us and that’s a really nice thing," said Uber’s Asia Regional General Manager Michael Brown.

The US-based company halted operations on February 10 after racking up millions of dollars in fines under a law barring unlicensed taxi services.

The previous month, authorities hiked the penalty to as much as 25 million Taiwanese dollars ($824,470) per infraction.

It added that more than 1 million people had downloaded the app since it began operations in Taiwan four years ago, with 15 million trips taken using the platform.

In the statement announcing the resumption of services, the company said it was keen to give rental car partners and their licensed drivers "access to more economic opportunities that the Uber app provides".