国家能源局—能源要闻
- Long-running dispute has intensified recently after taxi drivers staged undercover operation to report Uber drivers
- Government reluctant to enter fray as vested interests want to protect financial value of taxi licences, economist says, while others argue pool of passengers big enough to keep both types of drivers earning
A ploy by Hong Kong taxi drivers to go undercover as Uber passengers and catch the ride-hailing drivers red-handed could end up backfiring on them, observers and business leaders have warned, as it is bringing to a head a long stand-off about the fate of such services.
As the demand for such services was obvious but was being blocked by the government, they said it was only right that authorities started addressing the issue decisively to be fair to all parties.
A business leader urged the government to stop dragging its feet to solve the deadlock on the legality of Uber’s operations, pointing out that the ride-hailing service had become popular with residents and tourists while the city’s taxis had failed to improve.
An economist said the deadlock also arose because the 18,163 taxi licences were a tradeable commodity worth millions of Hong Kong dollars and involved vested interests of their holders.
Trouble first began when the government’s trade promotion office, InvestHK, trumpeted its success in bringing in United States-based Uber to the city after it began operating in 2014, but the Transport Department then deemed it an illegal service as it needed a hire-car permit.
Uber neither owns nor hires drivers but acts as a matching service between drivers and passengers and hence this approach is not regarded as viable.
Even as it was battling the government, Uber had to reckon with taxi drivers mounting protests over the encroachment onto their turf.