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.
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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.
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The defence said Ye committed the offences out of his ignorance of the laws of Hong Kong.