Twenty-three Hong Kong Uber drivers plead not guilty to using car for hire without permit
Case is first prosecution to follow landmark trial where drivers for ride-hailing company were compared to pirate cabbies
Twenty-three Hong Kong Uber drivers on Thursday denied driving passengers for a reward without the necessary permits.
The case is the first prosecution since five drivers were found guilty of driving without such permits and third-party insurance in a landmark trial that concluded there was no significant difference between the acts of these Uber drivers and that of pak pai, or pirate taxi drivers, which the Road Traffic Ordinance sought to regulate from 1977.
A pretrial review for the present case is set for February 1 next year.
The 22 men and one woman each pleaded not guilty to one count of driving a motor vehicle for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward.
