Editorial | Hong Kong passengers deserve to be given an easier ride
- City authorities aim to improve much criticised taxi services and clarify the role of popular ride-hailing concerns such as Uber on road to future
The ride-hailing platform service Uber has operated in the city’s unregulated shadows for a decade. During this time it has become a lightning rod for criticism from Hong Kong taxi drivers who complain it is threatening their livelihoods.
At the same time, it has built up a reputation for service and convenience that puts the taxi industry to shame. It is well past time to end this long-running dispute.
At long last, the government has revealed proposals for regulating ride-hailing services that are aimed at clarifying the status of Uber and other such services once and for all. The Transport and Logistics Bureau, in a paper published this month, has proposed adopting stiffer penalties for illegal ride-hailing services and relying on licensing to regulate them.
It cited Singapore, Shenzhen, London and other regulatory regimes, but added it would develop its own framework by 2025. In a nod to the taxi industry, it also said it would strengthen services by launching premium cab fleets next year.
Uber has technically been operating in a grey area, and few of its drivers have been prosecuted. Hongkongers haven’t seemed to mind the legal murkiness.