Latest news with #HongKongTaxiandPublicLightBusAssociation
HKFP
6 days ago
- Business
- HKFP
Allow ride-hailing services to operate only during peak hours, Hong Kong taxi union proposes
A Hong Kong taxi union has proposed that ride-hailing services be allowed to operate only during peak hours, as it welcomed a legislative proposal to regulate app-based booking platforms like Uber. The Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association spokesperson Peter Yung told reporters on Wednesday that the union hoped it could be involved in the legislative process regulating online ride-hailing services. The union is of the view that traditional taxis should be the core providers of point-to-point services, while ride-hailing services should play merely an 'auxiliary' role, being allowed to operate only during peak hours, Yung said. In an earlier letter to transport chief Mable Chan, the association proposed allowing online ride-hails to operate only from 7am to 10am and 5pm to 8pm, Yung told reporters. Proposed regulations Last week, the Transport and Logistics Bureau submitted its proposal to the Legislative Council outlining a framework for regulating online ride-hailing services in Hong Kong. The government plans to cap the number of licences but has not given details of the specific limit. According to the proposal submitted to the Legislative Council's Panel on Transport, the government suggests issuing licences to ride-hailing platforms that would be valid for five years and renewable based on the platform's service performance. Chan had earlier said the authorities would take into consideration the public's convenience, the orderly development of the industry, the public transport system, and road-carrying capacity when deciding the number of licences. Asked how many licences the association believed should be in circulation, Yung did not state a number, only that it would depend on the government's data. Yung also said that the association had proposed issuing online ride-hailing licences through public tender, as is done for taxis. But the union is against allowing the licence to change hands, lest it become an investment tool. Ride-hailing services should 'co-exist' with the taxi trade to provide transport services, Chief Executive John Lee 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 provide hailing services on online platforms without a permit could face up to six months in jail and a HK$10,000 fine for the first offence. The popularity of services such as Uber has risen amid long-standing dissatisfaction with taxi service standards, while the cab industry is calling for tougher action against Uber and the like, saying that its livelihood has been adversely affected by ride-hailing services.
HKFP
09-05-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Taxi sector representatives demand Hong Kong gov't regulate ride-hailing services
Representatives of the taxi sector have demanded that the Hong Kong government regulate online ride-hailing services, saying their livelihoods are at stake. Taxi owners and drivers gathered outside the West Kowloon Government Offices on Friday morning, holding up signs in Chinese reading 'Ride-hailing apps are bullies; taxi drivers are awaiting their doom.' They also submitted a petition to Chief Executive John Lee, demanding action. Chow Kwok-keung, the chairperson of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, said that he understood that some people had negative experiences with taking taxis but the sector was working hard to improve. 'If the chief executive does not want to see further petitions or protests, [he] should urge officials to cooperate across departments and coordinate,' Chow said in Cantonese. Hong Kong's taxi sector has long called on the city to crack down on ride-hailing apps like Uber, which they say compete with them for business. Ride-hailing apps operate in a grey area in the city, which requires vehicles offering hailing services to have a hire car permit. The government, however, has not outright criminalised ride sharing. Authorities said in July that they would consider regulating ride-hailing platforms like Uber, for example by introducing a new licensing system, though no frameworks have yet been floated. Falling income Speaking outside the government offices on Friday, Chow said ride-hailing cars had led to around a 20 per cent drop in income for taxi drivers. He added that over 75 per cent of taxi owners had fallen into debt due to the impact of ride-hailing services. In Hong Kong, one must purchase a taxi licence in order to own a taxi. The value of licences – often seen as an investment tool – has plummeted in recent years, from around HK$5 million in 2020 to HK$2.6 million in May. Meanwhile, the government has stepped up regulation of the taxi sector amid complaints about the city's taxi services, including introducing a new demerit points system that punishes drivers for behaviour such as refusing hire and overcharging passengers. It also rolled out taxi fleets operated by five companies, which are tasked with managing their taxis and providing higher-quality services. 'King of taxis' Cheng Hak-wo, the founder of Chung Shing Taxi Limited, one of the city's largest taxi operators, told local media outlets that he wrote to Chief Executive John Lee earlier this week to urge him to crack down on ride-hailing apps. The Transport Department said on Friday that it welcomed the views of taxi sector representatives and would arrange meetings with them. The department added that the government would propose a framework for the regulation of ride-hailing services within this year.
