Proposed Hong Kong ride-hailing rules cover licensing, vehicle age and insurance

Hong Kong’s transport authorities have unveiled a proposed regulatory framework for legalising ride-hailing services, which includes a licensing system as well as set requirements for vehicle age and insurance, in a move to end more than a decade of the industry operating in a legal grey area.

The policy paper submitted to lawmakers on Thursday also outlined a series of measures to respond to the taxi industry’s concerns, including requiring ride-hailing vehicles to display clear markings while in operation, restricting licences to registered vehicle owners and merging written tests for both cab and ride-hailing drivers.

The proposals by the Transport and Logistics Bureau confirm a Post report last week on the vehicle age limit, with the paper also detailing penalties for non-compliance.

A spokesman for key ride-hailing operator Uber Hong Kong said the paper marked “another important step” in the government’s journey towards regulation, and the company looked forward to continuing dialogue in reviewing the proposal.

A taxi union, however, said the proposed penalties were not on a par with the strict measures imposed on cab drivers and called for ride-hailing cars to be subject to the same level of supervision and consequences for misconduct.

Under the proposed regulations, all platforms will be required to obtain a ride-hailing service licence. Failure to do so will be a criminal offence punishable by up to 12 months’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of HK$1 million.