Hong Kong needs separate licensing system for ride-hailing cars, consumer watchdog says

Consumer Council’s Gilly Wong says separate system can help pinpoint needs of city’s ride-hailing industry

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Hong Kong is currently weighing up regulatory options for ride-hailing services such as Uber. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 3:04pm, 15 Jul 2024Updated: 4:42pm, 15 Jul 2024

Hong Kong should create a separate licensing regime to help differentiate vehicles offering ride-hailing services from other types of hired cars, the city’s consumer watchdog has said.

Gilly Wong Fung-han, chief executive of the Consumer Council, said on Monday that a new licensing system, running alongside the existing one offering up to 1,500 hire-car permits, could help pinpoint the needs of the ride-hailing industry.

“The existing hire-car permits may not be the best starting point,” she told a radio programme. “We can issue a new permit for ride-hailing services with specific requirements for the drivers and platforms. The government may consider doing so if it looks to be more effective.”

The Transport and Logistics Bureau last week published long-awaited proposals to regulate ride-hailing services and said it would conduct a 12-month commuter needs study to help guide a future regulatory regime.

Ride-hailing platforms such as Uber remain largely unregulated in Hong Kong, with authorities seeking to address the issue of drivers of private cars offering to carry passengers without the necessary permits.

There are currently five types of such permits covering services for hotels, tours, private limousines, private cross-border limousines and regular private operators.