Uber partnership with Hong Kong taxi firm Tin Shing Motors could stall as owner branded ‘traitor to the industry’
- Edward Lau unsure whether to partner with online ride-hailing service to launch new service Uber Flash
- About 38 taxi groups denounced plan and put pressure on law enforcement agencies to crack down on Uber and its drivers
Edward Lau, owner of Tin Shing Motors, told the Post he was weighing up whether to partner with the online ride-hailing service to launch Uber Flash – a service that would allow users to also hail taxis on its existing mobile application.
“I am still considering whether the pressure is so intolerable it could prompt me to change my mind,” Yau said on Monday, a day before a scheduled press conference to announce the plan.
Uber has struggled to get a break in Hong Kong, where a population of more than 7 million is served by 18,163 licensed taxis and about 40,000 drivers. The government has stood firm in cracking down on Uber with proposed hikes in penalties for drivers caught providing illegal ride-hailing services.
Without a hire-car permit issued by the government, Uber is deemed illegal for carrying passengers for rewards.
This firm is betraying the industry. It is a traitor
It was understood Uber Flash, which would impose flexible fares instead of following the fare meter, would be lawful under existing legislation, as the service would operate as a “hire-as-a-whole”, allowing cabbies and passengers to agree on the fare. Under the partnership, Uber would split its profits with Tin Shing.