We don’t know, probably likely if the police are involved as they probably gave him the option.
Talk to a lawyer.
Your options are the bus driver takes it further. You pay him NT$30,000 and issue a public apology. So you missed your bus. Wait for the next one.
Thing is you lied to the police about flipping the bird. The buses often have 8 - 10 camera’s around the bus. Most likely the driver had the bus depot download the video footage. Lucky for you they don’t issue you a life time ban from their bus service.
Entitled foreigners flipping the bird then pretending they didn’t Then gets on the bus causing more trouble. What could possibly go wrong?
Yup they’re well paid. It’s also hard to get that license. I think Taipei would be an easier run than Xinzuang. Anyway OP you got to pull in that middle finger , take a deep breath, it’s really not worth it. Good luck.
YES you better know the laws here. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Very likely if the police call the driver and let him know of the good news that you did in fact flip him off… He will rub his hands together and say “easiest money I’ve ever made,” and then proceed to request the police press charges to get that 30,000 off you.
My suggestion? Pay the 30,000 and be done with it. You don’t want this kind of thing on your record.
Yup…as correctly pointed out by Marco, it is a violation of Article 309 of the Criminal Code…“A person who publicly insults another shall be sentenced to short-term imprisonment or a fine of not more than nine thousand dollars.”
High Court overturns NT$4,000 fine for a man who called fellow clerk ‘ugly’ - Taipei Times.
Excerpt from the Taipei Times article–> The public insult clause in the Criminal Code stipulates a punishment of “short-term imprisonment” or a fine of up to NT$9,000.
The insult must also be public to be considered a crime, which in legal terms means a place where someone other than the person or people being accused can bear witness, attorney Ting Yu-jen (丁昱仁) said.
For instance, if someone shows someone else the middle finger on a street, it would be considered public because a third party could come by at any time, even if there were no witnesses to the incident itself, Ting said.
An insult is determined by whether there was the subjective intent to belittle another person, he said.
The law is intended to protect the “right of fame,” or the right to human dignity and reputation, Ting said.
It is expressed through the respect that people deserve in the process of social interaction, meaning that giving the middle finger is the same as cursing and would constitute a crime, he added.
LOZ The police are not arbitrators. If the bus driver or the bus company wants to sue you then you will see how equal you are when it comes to paying your legal bills.
Except theres also video footage of him stopping the bus illegally to get out and yell ate in the street, and him preventing me from getting off the bus.
We don’t know what happened. If the police said they were equally at fault, then they must have had witnesses on the bus tell them that the bus driver also cussed him out in Chinese. Either that or they meant that the bus driver is potentially equally at fault because he locked him up in the bus.
I think that’s probably what will stop it going further. Otherwise I’d probably be paying him money and apologising to get him to drop the charges.
Are you trying to increase the number of drunk drivers on the road? There’s enough carnage out there already!
Guy
Also the only case I heard of about giving the finger was a motorcyclist who gave the finger to a car driver and got fined 3000 ntd.
So is it legal to call someone ugly in private ?
Did he threaten to sue you? How did he threaten you? He might claim he was acting in self defense after you tried to take control of the bus controls. Which you did.
No doubt for many of the drivers, too That’s a lousy job and when they do good, kudos to them! When they screw up, unless it’s a thirty minute wait, I shrug and think they must be having a bad day.
EDIT: Plus what @crusher said. Those drivers have a rough job.
Guy
He stopped the bus in the middle of the street, got out, walked back to the bus stop and stood inches from my face and cursed at me in a very aggressive manner.
There have been people who have paid NT$30,000 as well. That depends of the person suing you accepts for heartfelt apology. If they think you are not serious they don’t accept your apology and ask you to pay more.
That is not the same as threatening you.
It’s very threatening behaviour.
In your opinion. Did you record it? Someone can be upset and telling you off for you flipping the bird. Which you then LIED about it to the police. The bus will have a recording of that. Your credibility is lessoned when you get caught lying on camera. The buses have internal cameras where your further actions are recorded. Put’s you in a very positive light no doubt.