Hong Kong authorities plan to propose ride-hailing regulations in July
Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme on Sunday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the framework would regulate drivers, their vehicles, and online platforms.
The authorities would take into consideration the public's convenience, the orderly development of the industry, the public transport system, and road-carrying capacity in deciding the number of licences, she said.
However, Chan did not say how many licences the authorities would issue.
The government has taken reference from regulatory frameworks in mainland China and overseas, some of which require drivers and their vehicles to meet certain conditions and pass evaluations, including safety tests before they can be licensed, she added.
'Healthy and positive'
'We hope to create a healthy and positive competitive environment to allow both taxi and ride-hailing services to coexist, complement each other, and develop in an orderly fashion,' Chan said.
Ride-hailing apps currently 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.
Ride-hailing services such as Uber have seen rising popularity amid long-standing dissatisfaction with taxi service standards.
However, the cab industry is calling for tougher action against Uber and the like, saying that their livelihoods have been adversely affected by ride-hailing services.
The transport minister said on Sunday that the government was not 'ignoring' the taxi trade. The government intends to improve taxi services by making it mandatory for taxis to have CCTVs and electronic payment systems installed, she said.
Chan also said that the regulations would help 'stabilise' the two industries and that she was confident that cab drivers' and ride-hailing drivers' incomes would incentivise them to provide their services.
The government's plan to submit the proposal to the Legislative Council would coincide with the official rollout of 'taxi fleets' in late July.
The authorities issued taxi fleet licences to five companies in July last year in a bid to boost taxi services amid long-standing dissatisfaction with the city's cabbies.
Whether the operators get a full five-year operating licence will depend on how prepared they are for a full rollout, involving factors such as whether they are sufficiently staffed, Chan said on Sunday.
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