Steer clear of undercover Uber ops, union chief tells taxi drivers

Taxi drivers should let the police carry out enforcement actions against illegal ride-hailing services instead of going undercover themselves, a union leader urged yesterday.

This came after videos circulating online showed citizens, suspected to be taxi drivers, going undercover to hail Uber rides, and calling the police once they had reached their destination to report the driver for engaging in illegal ride-hailing services.

But police have only said they are investigating, and no one has been arrested so far.

Speaking yesterday, Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association chairman Chow Kwok-keung said he was aware of the incidents but not the details, adding he would not encourage the practice.

"I hope citizens, taxi drivers and owners will exercise restraint, as citizens should not enforce the law by themselves," Chow said.

He added that Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law, so relevant authorities should enforce the law.

"I understand that police enforcement regarding illegal ride-hailing services has fallen short of the sector's expectation, but I hope we can express our demands to the police, government departments and bureaus through the union."

After the videos went viral, citizens started to report taxis parking illegally on the side of the road, and called on others to go to taxi-malpractice black spots, such as Lan Kwai Fong, to report cabbies for overcharging and refusing hire, Chow said.

"I think some of them who made such calls are drivers providing illegal ride-hailing services, and I would like to emphasize that any retaliatory behavior will not be beneficial to anyone."

Online ride-hailing is not against the law, but using vehicles without a hire car permit to carry passengers for hire or reward is illegal and the insurance of the vehicle will be invalidated, Chow said.

"Operators and passengers will not be protected by insurance in case of accidents, while it will turn into the government's administration problem if claims, injuries or even deaths arise," he said.

Chow hoped the government's taxi fleet license could be rolled out soon to improve the image of taxis.

"If the satisfaction rate towards taxi services among citizens increases, their demand for illegal ride-hailing services will drop, and the incident will be over."

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com