LettersHong Kong needs a smarter measure than a fixed ride-hailing cap
Readers discuss a flexible alternative to the proposed quota, why some consumers prefer ride-hailing, and US military killings in the Caribbean Sea
The data illustrates the difficulty: demand can vary as much as 66 per cent; up to 90 per cent of ride-hailing drivers work part-time; at one platform, annual driver attrition approaches 44 per cent.
A fixed cap is unlikely to accommodate these variables without suppressing supply at peak times or creating oversupply at quiet times. The government is trying to predict the equilibrium output of a market it has never formally regulated. During the Legislative Council transport panel meeting on May 12, officials and legislators could not agree on a number with analytical confidence.
There is a better approach: rather than a static quota, consider a preregistration and daily licence regime.
Under such a regime, drivers would first satisfy preregistration criteria: upper and lower age limits, clean driving record, no sexual offence convictions, vehicle below the 12-year limit, individual ownership as required by person-vehicle binding. Pre-registration creates a verified supply pool without conferring any operational entitlement.