One of Hong Kong’s first taxi-hailing platforms, HKTaxi, announced on Monday that it will cease operations on April 1, encouraging both passengers and drivers to migrate to Uber, its parent app.

According to HKTaxi’s statement, user accounts on the platform have been gradually suspended since Monday, with full deactivation targeted for March 31. Some taxi drivers have already been informed that their accounts will be deactivated as early as Feb 10.

Uber, which acquired HKTaxi in 2021, emphasized that the integration will provide taxi drivers with greater access to customers through its platform.

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Despite the closure of HKTaxi’s app, Uber confirmed that the company will continue its taxi management business.

Founded in 2013, HKTaxi was one of the pioneers in Hong Kong’s ride-hailing market. It offered passengers taxi-booking services at metered fares, with the option to pay in cash upon arrival or to make electronic payments via credit card or Octopus.

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After the acquisition, Uber announced a collaboration with HKTaxi in 2023 to add the “metered fare” option to its app, alongside the existing flat fare option.

HKTaxi said the metered fare option would remain available on Uber even after the shutdown.

HKTaxi’s website shows that the platform currently has over 70,000 registered drivers.

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In addition to continuing to receive a discount of up to 15 percent on fares, new users who successfully transition will also get a HK$100 ($12.8) fare reduction for each of their first five rides.