Hong Kong taxi industry leaders and Uber have both voiced concerns over a looming quota for ride-hailing vehicles, despite transport authorities promising to consult stakeholders before settling on a figure.
Transport minister Mable Chan told lawmakers a day later that the administration had yet to express a preference for a specific figure.
The government earlier pledged to include a quota limit in the final gazetted document, pending lawmakers’ approval before their summer recess in mid-July.
The proposed ride-hailing regime aims to rectify a regulatory vacuum in which platforms such as Uber, Tada, Amap and Didi Chuxing currently operate – a situation decried by cabbies as unfair. Amap is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which also owns the South China Morning Post.
Three major taxi groups told the SCMP that the quota would have far-reaching effects on the market.
