The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government is set to create a legislative framework this year to regulate ride-hailing platforms and combat illegal taxi operations, officials said on Wednesday after meeting taxi industry representatives to discuss the matter.
After the meeting, a taxi association decided to call off a planned five-day strike from March 5 aimed at forcing the authorities to step up regulating illegal ride-hailing platforms that offer passenger services using private vehicles, known as "pak pai"
Wong Yu-ting, chairman of the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association, apologized to residents for causing public concern over their strike plan.
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The Transport Advisory Committee of the Transport Department convened a meeting of 20 taxi industry representatives on Wednesday morning to discuss regulating ride-hailing services.
Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee Chung-yan said after the meeting the government plans to set up a framework the year to clarify platform responsibilities and requirements for private vehicles to obtain passenger service licenses.
She described this morning's meeting as constructive, emphasizing that the government and the taxi industry are on the same page regarding the regulation issue. The authorities will strive to crack down on illegal "pak pai" services and continue to review relevant legislation.
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The meeting was organized by a working group under the TAC which focuses on enhancing personalized point-to-point transport services.
Besides taxi industry representatives, the working group also scheduled a meeting on Wednesday afternoon with those from ride-hailing platforms like Uber and DiDi Hong Kong.
