Taipei City Government

Taipei City Government will increase fixed pick-up locations and free parking space across the city for taxis. Mayor Ko Wen-je made the announcement during a press event on February 12.
A total of 4,000 parking spaces in 93 parking towers and outdoor parking lots will be freed up for cabs. Among them, 65 spots provide mobile communication services.
According to Ko, the new initiative aims to address the situation where empty taxis run on the streets, wasting gas while increasing the burden on the city’s transportation.
Acknowledging that it is impossible to prohibit drivers from picking up roadside passengers, he noted that the measure will help deal with the issue step by step with two approaches.
The first step is to improve the working conditions for cabbies’ by extending the free parking time from 30 minutes currently to an hour and providing more parking space, allowing drivers to rest well when not in service.

The second approach will be to press for booking cabs through the internet instead of hailing cabs on the road, a method which will increase operational efficiency of taxi service.
The mayor has also instructed the Department of Transportation to devise a “Smart Taxi” plan, making sure every cab is fitted with a phone and internet connections. The agency will also work out a method to calculate the number of taxis in each district, the figures of which will serve as reference in determining designated pick-up locations.