Hong Kong taxi industry leaders say government-backed plans to clamp down on illegal ride-hailing services aren’t going far enough

Leaders of Hong Kong's taxi industry voiced their concerns on Saturday, stating that a government-backed proposal to increase the maximum jail time for unlicensed drivers carrying passengers for hire was insufficient. This call for harsher punishments against unlicensed drivers came a day after authorities announced plans to impose stricter penalties for motorists illegally offering rides for cash. This move aligns the proposed restrictions with another bill aimed at clamping down on separate offences committed by taxi drivers. Chow Kwok-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, expressed that the proposed amendments would help to level the playing field for both groups. However, he insisted that the penalties for unlicensed drivers needed to be more stringent.

On Friday, Frankie Yick Chi-ming, a lawmaker representing the transport sector, proposed that the maximum sentence for first-time offenders caught illegally carrying passengers for cash or any other reward should be increased from three months to six. He further suggested that repeat offenders should face jail terms of up to one year, an increase from the current six months. Despite this, Chow urged authorities to impose heavy fines on unlicensed drivers and their passengers to act as a greater deterrent. He argued that the government needed to devise a long-term plan to regulate ride-hailing services.

Ng Kwan-sing, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi Council, welcomed the measures but emphasized that more needed to be done to clamp down on the practice. He called for greater regulation to tackle the issue at its roots. The proposal represents the latest effort to crack down on ride-hailing services, such as those offered by Uber, which are illegal without a hire-car permit. The Post has contacted Uber for comment. Authorities agreed to raise Yick’s proposal to amend the Road Traffic Ordinance during a bills committee meeting, after the government originally argued the current penalties were a sufficient deterrent.