Hong Kong authorities have unveiled highly anticipated proposals to regulate ride-hailing services, marking a significant milestone for a sector that has existed locally in a grey area for a decade.
However, unanswered questions remain on the proposed new regulatory regime, with figures for quotas on ride-hailing vehicles, a levy on trips and assorted fees not yet disclosed.
The Post unpacks the regulatory proposals and how they may affect users of ride-hailing services.
1. What is the proposed legal framework?
Transport authorities announced their proposals on Tuesday and hope to legalise ride-hailing services as early as the first half of next year.
Under the proposed framework, ride-hailing platform operators and drivers will be subject to renewable licences every five years, and vehicles annually, to prevent the speculative trading that is rampant in the taxi trade.
Ride-hailing vehicles must not be older than seven years and must also be registered in the name of the owner, who will have to pay for commercial insurance.
Platform operators must be Hong Kong-registered companies that meet the government’s required operation threshold and have a certain investment commitment to be eligible to provide ride-hailing services.
Drivers must also be aged 21 or above, hold a private driving licence for at least one year, pass an assessment, and have had no serious traffic incidents in the past five years. Existing cabbies are allowed to obtain such a licence without going through the assessment.
