Two more Uber drivers arrested in Hong Kong as local taxi drivers prepare to launch rival service
Taxi drivers prepare to launch rival service to successful car-hailing app while police chief does not rule out the possibility of further action
As the battle for control of the city's roads plays out, it emerged the police joined a meeting during which there were calls for the arrest of unlicensed drivers. Pro-taxi lawmakers, taxi lobby representatives and Transport Department officials were also present.
Police had acted on allegations Uber drivers were using cars without permits and proper insurance.
The move is linked to the company's rapid expansion to add private-car owners to its roster, after originally using limousine-licensed companies.
Eight men have been released on bail, pending further investigation.
Traditional taxi drivers are now in the advanced stages of launching a platform to rival Uber, promising improved services and newer cars. Many commuters are fed up with daily abuses by taxi drivers, such as price gouging during bad weather and refusing fares unless the destination suits them.
Ng Kwan-sing, the convenor of the taxi lobbying group, said the new service platform would eventually have a fleet of cars to provide "quality" services.
"It is one of our ways to improve services," he said, adding that a one-stop complaint hotline might also be created. Ng, whose group had earlier threatened to block roads if authorities did not act, stopped short of saying whether their radical protest would still go ahead.
The Legislative Council's transport panel chairman, Michael Tien Puk-sun, said: "Taxi drivers [had] better shape up or lose the people's goodwill."
However, he expected public pressure to force authorities to introduce new regulations and not to prosecute the drivers.
But the Liberal Party's Frankie Yick Chi-ming, who represents the transport sector, urged authorities to prosecute as soon as possible to test whether there were any loopholes in the law.
Police Commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung said: "Some months [ago], we received a complaint about this app providing vehicle transport without a permit for hire or reward.
"We will review our evidence and submit again our files to the Department of Justice for further legal advice. I do not rule out the possibility of further arrests or prosecuting anyone."
Meanwhile, InvestHK has been criticised for not supporting a major client. The government agency, which earlier endorsed Uber as a "success story", distanced itself by deleting a webpage with praise for the app.
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IT lawmaker Charles Mok said InvestHK should stand by the firm and work with the government to resolve issues, rather than be seen to disown it.
"The matter sends a negative message to the international community as far as supporting innovative and disruptive ideas is concerned," said Mok.
A spokesman for InvestHK said it was "standard procedure" because the company was now being investigated. An Uber spokesman welcomed any opportunity to update regulations to benefit riders and drivers.
