Uber relaunches in Taiwan after partnering with licensed rental companies

Ride-hailing app Uber said it will resume services in Taipei after suspending services two months ago when the Taiwan government threatened fines if it did not register as a taxi company.

Uber halted services in Taiwan in January when it faced fines of up to $800,000 unless it registered as a normal taxi business and complied with insurance and safety standards. Uber maintained it connected cars and riders but was not a taxi company.

The company said in a blog post it would relaunch in Taipei from Thursday following “constructive talks” with the government, and that it is now partnering with licensed rental car companies in the city. Uber said its services would return to other cities in the “near future”.

Likai Gu, general manager of Uber Taiwan said:

We want to partner with more transportation service partners in weeks and months to come, whether they be from rental car companies or the taxi industry.

Taiwan is one of the few markets where the ride-hailing company faces no competing apps.

The announcement is a bright spot for the start up amid a series of negative reports in recent months that included sexual harassment claims by a former employee, a video of founder Travis Kalanick berating an Uber driver and a legal case that threatens to shutter its self-driving programme.