Uber survey finds 90% of passengers deem 10,000-permit cap ‘very insufficient’
Survey of 10,009 passengers and 4,569 drivers highlights strong concern over cap, as firm steps up response to planned regulatory framework
The US-based ride-hailing firm said on Thursday that the survey, conducted over six days last month, drew 10,009 passenger respondents, 90 per cent of whom considered the 10,000-permit cap “very insufficient”.
The survey, which also gathered responses from 4,569 drivers, found that nearly 75 per cent felt “extremely concerned” about the cap and believed it would make it difficult to obtain permits, affecting their livelihoods.
For the survey, Uber reached out via email to passengers who had used its services and to drivers registered with the company, inviting them to complete a questionnaire.
Uber, which has dominated Hong Kong’s ride-hailing market amid a regulatory vacuum for 12 years, said the proposed quota accounted for only one-third of the more than 30,000 active drivers on its platform.
The survey is seen as Uber’s latest attempt to fend off the government’s controversial plan to regulate the number of ride-hailing vehicle permits, alongside setting requirements for drivers, vehicles and platform operators, before the Legislative Council’s summer recess in July.