Is Hong Kong kicking the can down the road with ride-hailing quota?

taxi trade leader Chau Kwok-keung says he has never felt as much fear as he does now after transport minister Mable Chan set a 10,000-vehicle cap for ride-hailing service permits in May, in a bid to resolve what she called a “long-standing controversy” between traditional cabs and online service providers.Chau, a 40-year veteran of the industry, worries that the trade, comprising 18,163 taxis and about 46,000 active cabbies, will be driven into a dead end because he believes the quota will seriously affect livelihoods and the sector’s outlook.“The ride-hailing quota has gravely disrupted the taxi trade. Drivers are already suffering from plummeting income, with those on night shifts finding almost no business,” said the chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association.