Bolt taxi driver sentenced to 13 years

The New Taipei City District Court yesterday sentenced a taxi driver to 13 years in prison for abandoning a passenger on Provincial Highway No. 64 earlier this year. The passenger was killed after being struck by four passing vehicles.

The verdict against Lin Yu-chun (林宇濬) was handed down by a panel of professional and citizen judges following a trial held from Monday to Thursday.

The incident occurred on Jan. 25, when Lin picked up a passenger surnamed Wen (?) through the Bolt ride-hailing platform in Taipei’s Wenshan District (文山) at about 2am for a trip to New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋).

The New Taipei District Court is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: Taipei Times

While traveling on Provincial Highway No. 64 in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和), Lin stopped between traffic lanes and dragged Wen, who had collapsed in the back seat, out of the taxi before driving away.

Wen was subsequently hit by four passing vehicles and killed.

The court did not specify why Wen collapsed, although local media reported at the time that he was intoxicated.

In a news release, the court said Lin initially notified police that a passenger had collapsed on the highway, but failed to disclose that he was the taxi driver who had been transporting him.

After learning of Wen’s death, Lin went to a police station, but repeatedly claimed that Wen had gotten out of the taxi on his own, the court said.

The court ruled that Lin did not qualify for a reduced sentence under the rules governing voluntary surrender because he had concealed his involvement and repeatedly made false statements.

It also found that Lin had neither reached a settlement with Wen’s family nor shown genuine remorse during the trial.

Taking into account his lack of a criminal record and other circumstances, the panel concluded that the family’s request for a life sentence was excessive, while the prosecutors’ recommendation of 11 years was too lenient.