Hong Kong authorities will not favour existing ride-hailing platform drivers in the allocation of such vehicle permits, citing concerns about encouraging illegal activities and difficulties in execution, the transport minister has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Monday also refrained from revealing whether a time frame was being planned to review the controversial 10,000 permit cap despite repeated queries from lawmakers during the Legislative Council’s subcommittee...
Hong Kong’s cap of 10,000 vehicle permits for ride-hailing services is a “prudent and safe starting point” and the government will dynamically adjust the quota based on operational data, the city’s transport minister has said. The quota, revealed on Tuesday, prompted lawmakers to call for frequent reviews in the initial months after the scheme’s launch and swift government intervention if services proved insufficient. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics...
Hong Kong authorities have finally set the quota for ride-hailing service permits at 10,000 vehicles as part of their long-winding push to introduce a regulatory regime, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source said authorities would submit a consultation paper to the Legislative Council as early as late Tuesday to seek lawmakers’ feedback before gazetting the proposal later. “They believe that the number of licences issued can cater to the public’s commuting needs, keeping passengers’...
Issuing “several thousand” licences to ride-hailing vehicles under a proposed regulatory framework will be insufficient to meet demand, a Hong Kong government transport advisory body has said, calling for a quota that will not compromise existing services. Speaking after meeting government officials on Monday, Professor Wong Sze-chun, chairman of the Transport Advisory Committee, said members did not suggest specific numbers for ride-hailing platforms, vehicles or driver licences. “[A level of]...
Hong Kong authorities should issue about 20,500 licences in the first phase of regulating ride-hailing platforms, lawmakers and experts have said, arguing that the city needs at least 15,000 active cars daily to meet existing demand and avoid worsening transport shortages. The proposal came as several lawmakers told the South China Morning Post, on condition of anonymity, that the government had recently consulted them on a regulatory framework for ride-hailing services but had not presented any...