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Willa Wu

A looming five-day taxi strike against illegal ride-hailing services in Hong Kong has been met with challenges including objections by some cabbies, with a number criticising the move as only sending more passengers to operators such as Uber and Amap.
Some drivers also told the Post on Thursday the planned strike would do little to persuade the government to crack down on companies such as Uber and Amap.
Amap is part of Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post.
Some drivers said what they feared was pressure from taxi owners from whom they rented their vehicle, rather than the ride-hailing service providers.
On Tuesday night, the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association held a meeting at which 80 per cent of attendees, representing 30,000 drivers, agreed to strike if authorities did not respond to its demands.
The association said it would mobilise at least 1,000 drivers to strike if the government failed to heed its demands to enforce the law requiring ride-hailing platforms and service providers to operate with a hire-car permit.
The planned strike would start on March 5 if authorities did not respond positively by next Wednesday.
Many ride-hailing platforms in the city such as Uber, Tada, Amap and Didi Chuxing operate unregulated. But taxis that join these platforms are deemed legal as cabs are licensed.
Amap became the latest operator to launch car-hailing services with private vehicles in Hong Kong.
Liu Lung-biu, who has been a taxi driver for more than 30 years and rents his cab from a private car owner, said he would not join the strike, citing concerns over income loss.
“I have to pay the rent of the cab. If I take part in the strike, who would pay for the rent?” he said. “What I fear now is that I will be pressed to join the strike and cannot earn any income during that five-day period.”
According to Liu, less than 20 per cent of the taxis running in Hong Kong are owned by private individuals while others are under companies.
He felt the strike would achieve little other than offering more business to ride-hailing operators while causing greater rifts in society.
“If there is a strike, I don’t think either side would benefit from it,” he said, pointing to previous attempts by local taxi unions to enforce the law on ride-hailing services that backfired.
Hong Kong has 46,000 taxi drivers, with 18,163 cabs on the road. More than 216,000 drivers had registered with Uber and Uber Taxi by 2021, according to the latest available data from the company.
In May of last year, some taxi drivers posed as Uber passengers and reported at least 13 ride-hailing cases to police over three days. The move sparked public anger, with some residents calling for tit-for-tat action against cabbies.
Cheung Lap-wai, who became a taxi driver only three months ago, said he would not join the strike unless he was pressured to do so by the company that hired him.
“Making a living is of the utmost importance. But if I am asked to join, then I have no choice,” he said.
A taxi driver surnamed Ng, who has been in the industry for 40 years, was also against the strike despite admitting his business had suffered over the past 10 years due to ride-hailing competitors.
“The strike is meaningless. Ride-hailing services are a trend and it is impossible to stop them,” he said.

But trade unions stood firm on the strike, with members seeing it as taking a final stand to defend Hong Kong as a law-abiding city.
“It is of course very sad that we need to turn to a strike to demand for the government to provide a clear timetable for a clampdown on the operators,” Chau Kwok-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, said.
He told the Post that up to 60 car owners and taxi drivers of his association had agreed to join the strike.
“We feel as most Hong Kong residents do, we don’t want the strike to become a reality. But it is unacceptable that the government has for so long failed to regulate this illegal business,” he said.
He also attributed the planned strike to Amap’s recent decision to launch car-hailing services in Hong Kong.
The mainland Chinese mapping and navigation service provider had broken its promise to offer only taxi-hailing services when it entered the market in May of last year, according to Chau.
Lam Kwai-keung, chairman of the Front Line Taxi Driver Association, said “a majority” of the association’s 1,200 members had expressed a willingness to take part in the strike.
“We all think the government is incompetent. We want to achieve our sole and ultimate goal – no illegal ride-hailing services,” he said.
The Post has reached out to Amap for comment.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau on Wednesday urged the taxi industry to “remain calm and rational and prioritise the interests of residents”, and to attend a meeting next week to propose ideas on how to enhance personalised point-to-point services.

Last July, the government floated a plan to introduce tougher penalties for those offering illegal ride-hailing services, along with proposals to strengthen the taxi industry by creating fleets of premium cabs.
Hong Kong experienced a major taxi strike in 1984 when drivers protested against sharp rises in taxes and licence fees. The protest soon turned ugly as thousands of rioters went on a rampage in Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok, attacking policemen, overturning vehicles and looting shops.


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Hong Kong transport

Some Hong Kong taxi drivers decry strike against illegal ride-hailing services

Taxis in a queue outside Tsim Sha Tsui Pier. On Tuesday night, the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association held a meeting at which 80 per cent of attendees, representing 30,000 drivers, agreed to strike if authorities did not respond to its demands. Photo: Jelly Tse

Chau Kwok-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, says the planned strike is unfortunate but necessary. Photo: Edmond So

Taxi drivers on strike in 1984 as they protest against increases in taxes and licence fees. Photo: Sam Chan

Hong Kong taxi union threatens 5-day strike if city fails to clamp down on Uber

Hong Kong has 46,000 taxi drivers, with 18,163 cabs on the road. Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association chairman Wong Yu-ting has accused the government of turning a “blind eye” towards illegal ride-hailing platforms. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong cab-hailing app HKTaxi to shut down and migrate drivers to owner Uber

Uber bought HKTaxi In 2021, and two years later launched a metered taxi option in partnership with its acquisition on the Uber app. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong’s new ride-hailing regime to be open to all players

In Hong Kong, it is currently illegal for drivers of private vehicles to accept paid customers without a hire-car permit. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Mable Chan has said that regulating ride-hailing platforms will mean starting up a new legal regime before resolving teething issues such as hire-car permits. Photo: May Tse

News

Hong Kong

Transport

A number say action planned for March 5 will achieve little and only send more passengers to operators such as Uber and Amap


A number say action planned for March 5 will achieve little and only send more passengers to operators such as Uber and Amap.


Uber

Hong Kong taxis