Uber anger: Hong Kong cabbies smash taxi in protest against car-hailing apps
They say competition from car and van-hailing mobile apps is unfair
A group of cab drivers smashed a taxi yesterday, calling for the government to curb the practice of private car drivers offering cheaper rides through car-hailing mobile apps such as Uber.
To Sun-tong, a spokesman for the Motor Transport Workers General Union, said some members had seen revenue drop by 20 per cent after the introduction of mobile apps in Hong Kong.
He foresaw that their revenues would decrease further if the government did not take prompt action.
Smashing the taxi to vent anger was part of a demonstration by the union and two other taxi associations representing 9,000 taxi drivers. There are about 50,000 cabbies in the city, To said.
"Compared with the private cars, we are at disadvantage because we have to charge passengers according to the meters," To said, adding that those private car drivers would sometimes give riders deep discounts.