The long-awaited earthquake in Hong Kong’s taxi and ride-hailing scene is almost upon us and the questions are how big the initial shock will be, and how many aftershocks we can expect. The important thing in the coming months will be to keep the focus on protecting the interests of the travelling public. More than…
Taxi trade leader Chau Kwok-keung says he has never felt as much fear as he does now after transport minister Mable Chan set a 10,000-vehicle cap for ride-hailing service permits in May, in a bid to resolve what she called a “long-standing controversy” between traditional cabs and online service providers. Chau, a 40-year veteran of…
Two mainland Chinese ride-hailing operators in Hong Kong have backed a controversial plan to regulate the industry by capping vehicle permits at 10,000, a figure the city’s largest American business chamber considers insufficient. In submissions to the Legislative Council on Monday and in recent days, Amap and Didi Chuxing said they supported the Transport and…
Hong Kong transport authorities will “actively explore” the secure storage of ride-hailing data ahead of new regulations for the industry due to take effect in August, as part of efforts to ensure compliance with national security requirements. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Monday stopped short of revealing whether data about users collected…
A vast majority of passengers consider the government’s plan to cap ride-hailing vehicle permits at 10,000 “very insufficient”, according to a survey by Uber, as the company attempts to challenge elements of the proposed regulatory regime. US-based Uber said on Thursday that the survey, conducted last month over six days, drew 10,009 passenger respondents, 90…
Hong Kong authorities will not favour existing ride-hailing platform drivers in the allocation of such vehicle permits, citing concerns about encouraging illegal activities and difficulties in execution, the transport minister has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Monday also refrained from revealing whether a time frame was being planned to review the…
Uber is investigating a complaint involving three female passengers who said they felt threatened during an early morning ride home in Hong Kong, after the driver allegedly told vulgar jokes, deviated from the original route and locked the vehicle doors when asked to drop them off. The ride-hailing company said on Monday that it was…
Hong Kong’s taxi trade has warned that 10 per cent of the cab owners in the city could soon default on vehicle mortgages as licence values plunge, with many drivers switching to the new ride-hailing regime where 10,000 permits will be issued. The market value of a taxi licence has plunged over the past two…
Hong Kong’s cap of 10,000 vehicle permits for ride-hailing services is a “prudent and safe starting point”, and the government will dynamically adjust the quota based on operational data, the city’s transport minister has said. The quota, revealed on Tuesday, prompted lawmakers to call for frequent reviews in the initial months after the scheme’s launch…
Hong Kong authorities have set a cap of 10,000 vehicles for ride-hailing service permits, marking a key step in their long-running effort to establish a regulatory framework, with applicants who have owned a private car for a certain period likely to be given priority. In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Tuesday, the…