Hong Kong authorities are considering requiring online ride-hailing services, including Uber, to have private hire car permits, the Post has learned, with a lawmaker urging that the supply of such licences be ramped up to meet passenger demand.
In an effort to curb illegal services, the government is conducting a review of online ride-hailing platforms, but the limit on permits for privately-run hire car services has remained at 1,500.
The government is taking a stance that online ride-hailing without licences will be considered as illegal and therefore responsible parties will be held accountable, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the government had not considered increasing the number of private hire car permits, the source added.
“It is choking off the existence of Uber, while ignoring the needs of passengers in Hong Kong,” the source said.
The source added that authorities would release more details about the review next week.
Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said the total number of cabs and private hire car service should reach 20,000 to meet demand, if online ride-hailing secure licences were mandated.
“It is expected that the government should set up a complaint mechanism to regulate the quality and services provided by the cabs and online ride-hailing ,” Tien said.
He also suggested that the government should regulate all cabs and online ride-hailing services by installing security cameras to ensure the safety of passengers.
In Hong Kong, it is illegal for drivers of private vehicles to accept paid customers without a hire-car permit, while ride-hailing platforms such as Uber are also not regulated.
More than 216,000 drivers were registered on Uber and Uber Taxi by 2021, according to company data. There are 46,000 taxi drivers in the city, with 18,163 cabs on the road.
Uber and the taxi industry have been at loggerheads, with tensions peaking in May as some cabbies took part in at least three rounds of undercover operations to report illegal ride-hailing services. At least 13 illegal ride-hailing cases involving suspected Uber drivers were reported in May.
However, taxi services have a poor reputation in the city.
The Transport Department received 1,006 serious complaints over taxi drivers last year, almost double the 574 in 2022 and much higher than the 464 in 2021.
Taxis were also involved in 4,585 accidents last year, 26 per cent higher than the 3,632 in 2022 and above the 4,153 in 2021.
The Legislative Council is due to discuss the regulatory framework on July 12 in a panel meeting.
Uber Hong Kong told the Post it would weigh in on the matter after the review of the online ride-hailing platform was released.
