台灣外送平台新法上路，交通部提新規，Grab收購Foodpanda案引發壟斷與國安擔憂

The nation’s first dedicated law governing delivery platforms took effect at midnight, introducing measures to protect delivery workers such as minimum pay guarantees and greater transparency requirements, while the Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Sunday proposed new regulations under the act.

The Delivery Workers Rights Protection and Delivery Platform Management Act （外送員權益保障及外送平台管理法） was to take effect alongside supporting regulations drawn up by labor, economic, transportation and health authorities, the Ministry of Labor said in a statement yesterday.

The act, passed by the legislature on Jan. 6, mandates that delivery workers receive at least NT$45 per order and no less than 1.25 times the statutory hourly minimum wage, calculated according to the time spent completing an order.

The guaranteed amount is to be adjusted annually in line with minimum wage increases, according to the new law. The current hourly minimum wage rate is NT$196.

The law also requires platforms to disclose information about order assignments and pay calculations, establish reasonable grounds for suspending workers or terminating their contracts, and strengthen insurance protections for workers.

Meanwhile, the transportation ministry’s proposed regulations, administrative rules and sub-laws promulgated under the authority of the act seek to establish clearer rules for delivery worker safety and consumer protections, it said.

Under the proposed road safety regulations, platforms would be required to provide road safety training for all delivery workers, including regular refresher courses to reinforce safe driving practices.

Platforms would also be required to provide additional safety instruction to delivery workers who commit serious traffic safety offenses. Delivery assignments would have to comply with traffic laws, and platform notifications could not interfere with navigation or other work-related information, reducing the need for workers to tap or respond to their phones while driving.

The draft standard contract provisions would allow customers to cancel membership subscriptions within seven days of first signing up. Automatic renewals would require explicit consent from the user, while platforms would also have to establish renewal reminders and refund mechanisms.

Companies would also be required to clearly disclose cancelation and refund policies, procedures for handling defective orders, and detailed information on products and fees. Any undisclosed charges would have to be absorbed by the platform.

Platforms would also be required to provide estimated delivery times. If a delivery is delayed beyond a reasonable period, consumers could cancel the order and receive appropriate compensation. Risks arising from system failures or partner merchants could not be passed on to consumers.

The ministry said the proposed rules were prepared by the Highway Bureau in consultation with consumer protection groups, food delivery platforms and delivery worker unions, and have been released for public comment.

The road safety portion of the proposed changes would be revised and implemented as soon as possible after the consultation period, while the standard contract provisions would be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval before taking effect, it said.

Separately, Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission is reviewing Grab’s proposed acquisition of Foodpanda Taiwan.

The National Delivery Industry Union and other labor groups on Sunday issued a joint statement urging regulators to reject the deal, warning it would create an effective monopoly in Taiwan’s food delivery market and raise national security concerns if extensive mapping data were exposed.

A proposed acquisition by the Singaporean ride-hailing and delivery giant formally entered the commission’s review process in last month after several months of supplemental filings. A decision is expected by the end of this month unless the review period is extended.

The Taiwan Delivery Industry Rights Alliance, the National Delivery Industry Union and the Taichung Delivery Platform Service Industry Union said the deal should be rejected outright, and not receive conditional approval.

They groups said that Uber is one of Grab’s major shareholders and that Uber’s chief executive has long served on Grab’s board, adding that executive resignations amounted only to a technical measure to avoid scrutiny.

They also said Grab and Uber had previously entered into noncompete agreements and operated interconnected services in overseas markets, meaning the merger would effectively leave Taiwan with “two companies in name, but one in reality.”

The statement also cited an online survey by the National Delivery Industry Union that said nearly 90 percent of delivery workers opposed the acquisition, reflecting widespread concern that the merger would further weaken workers’ bargaining power.

The groups also said that Grab has longstanding partnerships with Chinese companies, including Huawei’s Petal Maps and Alibaba Cloud, and operates key artificial intelligence research centers in Beijing and Shenzhen.

Allowing Grab to control large volumes of Taiwanese consumers’ personal information, and purchasing data and detailed mapping information, could increase the risk of sensitive information being leaked to hostile countries, posing a threat to national security, they said.

Experiences in Taiwan and abroad show that once monopolies are approved and cybersecurity vulnerabilities emerge, the resulting market distortions and national security risks would effectively be irreversible under the current regulatory framework, they added.