Focus T&aiwan
Date: 2019/06/18
By: Wang Shu-fen and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, June 18 (CNA) More than 800 people in Taipei showed up Tuesday for the first in a series of specially organized exams that are being held by the government to issue commercial driver's license for operators of non-traditional types of taxis.

About half of the 800-plus drivers who took the multipurpose taxi driver exam were people who work for the ride-hailing service Uber Taiwan, the local subsidiary of Uber Technologies Inc., according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC).

The exam was held under a multipurpose taxi service program initiated by the government primarily to encourage Uber and other types of non-traditional taxi services to adhere to the relevant laws, the ministry said.

Under Taiwan law, a multipurpose taxi is defined as a ride service in which the driver is not legally required to use a yellow taxi. The fares are metered, but passengers must contact the drivers via an app, the law states.
[FULL  STORY8]