Government and taxi industry unite for safer, lawful ride-hailing services

The government and taxi industry shared a mutual vision to provide quality and lawful services, Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee Chung-yan said.

This announcement followed a meeting between department officials and representatives from the taxi trade and online ride-hailing platforms at the Transport Advisory Committee on Wednesday.

They pledged to propose legislation targeting illegal ride-hailing operations by the end of the year.

“The taxi industry believes ride-hailing platforms need to keep up with the times, as well as be responsible for ensuring their drivers and vehicles meet the required standards,” Lee said during a radio program Thursday.

Ride-hailing platforms acknowledged that their services offer flexibility to meet public transportation needs and expressed confidence in the potential for coexistence, highlighting the importance of managing their fleets and drivers effectively.

Lee said that authorities will continue to monitor the situation and remind platforms to avoid any illegal activities.

She also said that her department had completed an on-site study of personalized point-to-point transportation services at the end of last year, with data analysis still pending.

Wong Yu-ting, chairman of the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association, addressed concerns about leaked internal documents suggesting a potential strike action.

Earlier, Wong had threatened a five-day citywide strike starting March 5 if the government did not address unlicensed ride-hailing services, but he called off the action following Wednesday's meeting.

Wong said the industry's trust in the government’s commitment to combat illegal ride-hailing operations and advocated for a licensing system similar to that of Macau, proposing that future license applicants should not have previously engaged in illegal ride-hailing services.

(Ayra Wang)