Hong Kong’s taxi trade and ride-hailing services can coexist and survive together, the transport chief has said, pledging to prioritise the public’s travel needs in the coming regulation of online platforms.
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Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan made the reassurance on Saturday, a day after more than 30 disgruntled taxi drivers demonstrated outside government headquarters and called for tougher law enforcement against illegal ride-hailing services.
Chan reiterated that the rules governing online ride-hailing platforms would be driven by the needs of the public and aimed at “coexistence” with the traditional taxi industry.
“In the future, the regulation of online ride-hailing services and the development of the taxi industry must be mutually reinforcing and complementary. Taxi licences and their services have always existed in our society, so this cannot be erased,” she said.
“What we hope to achieve is to prioritise the travel needs of the public and achieve the goal of coexistence and mutual survival for both.
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“When we propose regulations for online ride-hailing platforms in the future, we will definitely hope to achieve standardisation and reach our goals in an orderly and controllable manner.”