Cab driver who ran over passenger turns himself in

Lin told police during interrogation that he ran over his passenger Du Tzan-shiou, 52, because Du was verbally offensive and had struck him on the back of his head. He confessed that he had been loitering in the Keelung area since he abandoned his vehicle after the incident.

According to Lin, trouble started when he took a different route than the one requested by Du's friend who got out of the car at an earlier point. At first, the driver apologized and the passenger did not seem upset, but Du started cursing at Lin not long after and struck him on the back of his head, resulting in a heated argument between the two, continued Lin.

Feeling overwhelmed, Lin offered Du to get out of the taxi on the spot without paying any fare, the driver added. The victim, however, continued to use foul language at the driver, as corroborated by a witness.

As Du walked away, Lin rammed into him, causing him to strike a black coupe parked nearby. After the victim fell to the ground, the cab driver ran over him and sped away. The victim was pronounced dead from severe brain damage on the way to the hospital.

Lin was transferred to the Taipei district prosecutors' office after the interrogation.

Ironically, Du's friend who had exited the taxi over ten minutes before the incident wanted to call a cab from a different company, but Du insisted on ordering service from Taiwan Taxi, to which Lin belonged.

This is an isolated act committed by an individual driver, but the incident has tarnished the image of the company and caused concern from our passengers, Taiwan Taxi was cited as saying in a TVBS report.

The company's executive vice president, Lee Chiung-shu said that drivers are reprimanded whenever the company receives a credible complaint against them. Violation of the company's “ten-service guarantee” would result in suspension by the company either for 2, 3 days or indefinitely, depending on severity.

Since it started operating seven years ago, Taiwan Taxi has grown to a 7,500-vehicle fleet servicing an average of 250,000 passengers every day.

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