Hong Kong taxi trade demands tougher action as gov't warns ride-hailing services to obey the law
A group of Hong Kong taxi owners has petitioned for tougher action against ride-hailing services, as the government warns online platform operators to 'comply with the law.'
Around 40 taxi owners gathered outside the government headquarters in Admiralty on Friday morning, submitting a petition they said was signed by more than 5,000 taxi license holders, according to local media reports.
The move comes as the government was scheduled to meet on Friday with representatives of online ride-hailing platforms, such as Uber and Didi.
'The Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) has expressed concern over the illegal hire car services provided by online car-hailing platforms,' the government said in a statement on Friday morning, ahead of the meeting.
It added that 'their operations must comply with the law.'
Ride-hailing apps operate in a grey area in the city, which requires vehicles offering hailing services to have a hire car permit. Private vehicle owners who sign up with online platforms to provide hailing services without a permit could be punished by up to six months in jail and a HK$10,000 fine for the first offence.
Lam Chi-Chung, speaking on behalf of the taxi owners' group, told reporters outside the government headquarters that the taxi trade demanded swift action from the government to crack down on illegal ride-hailing services.
He said the government had been talking about taking action for years, but there had been few results.
'At the end they [the government] only sent them [online ride-hailing platforms] letters, and it has been business as usual for all those platforms for many years,' he said in Cantonese.
'At full speed'
The group is considering further action, such as launching a legal challenge against the government's handling of the matter, if the authorities do not respond swiftly to their demand, Lam said.
'There are some even more radical suggestions' floated within the group, he said. 'We have advised caution.'
According to the Friday statement, the Transport and Logistics Bureau 'is pressing ahead at full speed' with a legislative proposal to regulate car-hailing platforms. However, it stopped short of revealing a timetable for the matter.
The government said last year that it was studying to put in place regulations for ride-hailing platforms like Uber, including introducing a new licensing system.
The bureau also met with 20 taxi industry representatives and lawmakers for around two hours on Thursday.
Angela Lee, commissioner for transport, pledged after the meeting that the government would continue to crack down on illegal services and push for legislation to regulate online ride-hailing platforms, according to a government press release on Thursday.
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