‘Accept Uber and regulate’: some Hong Kong Uber Taxi drivers urge new ride-hailing approach

Clash over illegal ride-hailing services has sparked ‘undercover’ operations by some Hong Kong taxi drivers, but other cabbies see opportunities

Reading Time:3 minutes

The Transport Department received 1,006 serious complaints involving taxi drivers last year, almost double the 574 logged in 2022. Photo: Sun Yeung

Published: 1:00pm, 9 Jun 2024Updated: 1:49pm, 9 Jun 2024

Hong Kong should adopt new thinking to regulate ride-hailing platforms such as Uber to meet growing demand from passengers who want a wider choice of tailor-made point-to-point rides, some taxi drivers have urged.

Three cabbies who joined the platform’s Uber Taxi service weighed in on the latest debate over illegal ride-hailing, telling the Post the government should move with the times and legalise such operations.

“If you can’t beat them, join them,” said Uber Taxi driver Jackie Li Man-hoi, 64. “Since the government has turned a blind eye to the firm’s illegal operations and now the times have changed, it should accept Uber and regulate the firm’s services. It’s useless to wipe out Uber.”

Much like the company’s regular service, Uber Taxi allows passengers to book rides directly with an upfront price instead of using a meter.

The battle between the US-based platform, which entered the city in 2014, and Hong Kong taxis has been back in the spotlight after cabbies went “undercover” as passengers to conduct sting operations against Uber drivers in a bid to force authorities to crack down on those illegally offering ride-hailing services.

The government will conduct a review of online ride-hailing platforms after July to curb the offering of illegal services.