Any idea of what percentage of taxi drivers own versus rent? Or do some just work for a salary or commission? Are any of them independent or are they all members of a company or organization?
I have heard about the rent-to-own scheme before and that possibly the taxi guys working in the street corners at rush-hour are working off their debt. I don’t know if that is still around or not.
I can’t speak of Taiwan, but, when I worked as a Toyota salesman years and years ago we sold many fleet vehicles, which is what a more successful taxi company in the US would typically buy. A dozen or more of the same vehicles for a discount rate. I can’t comment on the lower echelon employee side, but I can say without a doubt that most taxi businesses (at least within the US) own their fleet outright.