Hong Kong urged to allow ride-hailing services to fairly compete with taxis
- Competition Commission says planned regulations on ride-hailing services should ‘encourage innovation’ and ‘provide strong incentives’
The Hong Kong government needs to recognise the importance of online ride-hailing services and enable fair competition with taxis, the antitrust watchdog has said, after authorities announced plans to regulate point-to-point transport.
The Competition Commission also said on Friday the planned regulatory framework should “encourage innovation” and “provide strong incentives” for the sector to introduce technologies favourable to both consumers and hired drivers.
“Continuous enhancement of business efficiency and facilitation of innovation by promoting market competition is the bedrock of Hong Kong’s economic success,” the commission said.
“The commission believes this similarly applies to the opening up of the online ride-hailing services through regulations, which will enable them to compete with taxis on a level playing field in the point-to-point transport services market in Hong Kong.”
The government has said it is planning to regulate online ride-hailing platforms through licensing. Those found to be involved in providing illegal services would have their driving licences suspended under the potential regulations.
Authorities are set to review passenger demand before presenting a final proposal to the legislature next year.
