Taxi industry shifts focus to fair play after Hong Kong passes ride-hailing bill

Hong Kong’s taxi industry is gearing up for a new battle over fair competition in the wake of a ride-hailing bill’s passage, demanding a meeting with transport officials and warning that the government’s franchised fleet initiative may be undermined.

While industry bodies on Thursday broadly welcomed the long-awaited legal framework, they also raised unresolved details, saying the new law would be meaningless without strict and equitable rules on licensing, vehicle standards and operational conduct.

A spokesman for ride-hailing platform Tada said the company considered the new regulations as an opportunity for collaboration among stakeholders and recognised that clear rules could balance innovation and fair competition.

But Ng Kwan-sing, a vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi Council, said the government should set its priorities.

“The government … has given birth to five sons,” he said, referring to the five recently launched franchised taxi fleets.

“You have to truly pay attention to them first before you give birth to a bunch of so-called private car ride-hailing platforms to compete with taxis for business and drivers.”