Hong Kong to require private hire car permits for ride-hailing services including Uber
- A lawmaker is also urging the government to ramp up supply of such licences to meet passenger demand
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 illegal and therefore responsible parties will be held accountable, according to a source familiar with the matter on Friday.
The government had not considered increasing the number of private hire car permits, the insider added.
“It is choking off the existence of Uber, while ignoring the needs of passengers in Hong Kong,” the source said, adding 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.
