Latest news with #YeHai
HKFP
4 days ago
- HKFP
Mainland Chinese man jailed for 2 months for offering ride-hailing services in Hong Kong
A mainland Chinese man has been jailed for two months over offering ride-hailing services via navigation app AMap and breaching his conditions of stay as a travel permit holder. Defendant Ye Hai, 41, was sentenced by Magistrate Philip Chan at Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on Wednesday after pleading guilty, local media reported. The mainland Chinese resident, who holds a Hong Kong and Macao Travel Permit, was convicted of breaching conditions of stay, driving a motor vehicle for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward, and using a vehicle without third-party insurance. According to local media, police conducted a crackdown operation last month on drivers offering illegal ride-hailing services. A police officer posing as a customer booked a ride on AMap – a map app by Alibaba that also has ride-hailing features – at around 11 am that day. Around 10 minutes later, Ye arrived at the pick-up point in Yau Ma Tei and took the officer to Cheung Sha Wan. The ride cost HK$64. Other police officers intercepted Ye's car after the undercover officer got off. They discovered that Ye came to Hong Kong on July 4 with a travel permit, which forbade him from working during his stay. He was then arrested. Ye's lawyer told the court on Wednesday that he used his friend's car to pick up passengers on AMap. The lawyer said his client was not familiar with Hong Kong laws. Apart from his two-month jail sentence, the magistrate also ordered Ye's driving licence to be suspended for a year. Ride-hailing apps currently operate in a grey area in the city, which requires vehicles offering services to have a hire car permit. Private vehicle owners who sign up with online platforms to provide services without a permit could be punished by up to six months in jail and a HK$10,000 fine for the first offence. While there have been arrests of drivers, there has been no major law enforcement operation targeting ride-hailing app drivers. Meanwhile, such services – especially Uber – have seen rising popularity amid long-standing dissatisfaction with taxi service standards. Last month, the government submitted a legislative proposal on regulating ride-hailing services. The authorities suggested capping the number of ride-hailing cars allowed in the city, though the regulatory framework proposal gives no details of the specific limit.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Man jailed for 2 months in Hong Kong ride-hailing case, banned from driving for a year
A mainland Chinese visitor has been jailed for two months and disqualified from driving in Hong Kong for a year after he was found to have offered ride-hailing services without the required permit. Ye Hai, 41, on Wednesday admitted to offering paid rides using the online mapping service Amap on July 7, three days after he entered Hong Kong on a two-way permit. He pleaded guilty at Kowloon City Court to breaching his condition of stay, driving a motor vehicle for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward, and using a vehicle without third party insurance. The court heard Ye was arrested during a sting operation by police that targeted illegal hire-car services. Using a beige Toyota Prius he borrowed from his friend, Ye took an undercover officer from a private housing complex in Yau Ma Tei to a location in Sham Shui Po, before two other constables intercepted him at a nearby junction. The defence said Ye committed the offences out of his ignorance of the laws of Hong Kong.
South China Morning Post
08-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Mainland driver charged in Hong Kong for offering ride-hailing service without permit
A mainland Chinese visitor has been remanded in custody pending trial in Hong Kong for allegedly offering ride-hailing services without the required permit. Ye Hai, 41, was escorted to Kowloon City Court on Wednesday to face three charges after police scooped up the defendant in a sting operation the previous day targeting private vehicle drivers who accepted paid customers without a hire car permit. The defendant, who entered Hong Kong last Friday with a two-way permit, allegedly used the online mapping service Amap to offer paid rides. A 55-year-old local man who was also arrested in the operation has been released on bail without charge. Ye, who entered Hong Kong last Friday with a two-way permit, was not required to enter a plea on charges of breach of condition of stay, driving a motor vehicle for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward, and using a vehicle without third party insurance, as prosecutors asked for more time to investigate further. The defendant was remanded in custody after failing to secure bail before the next hearing on August 5. He has reserved his right to renew his bail application next Wednesday.
