The one voice Hong Kong can’t ignore on ride-hailing? The public

The long-awaited earthquake in Hong Kong’s taxi and ride-hailing scene is almost upon us and the questions are how big the initial shock will be, and how many aftershocks we can expect. The important thing in the coming months will be to keep the focus on protecting the interests of the travelling public.More than a decade after Uber first set up in Hong Kong, operating in a regulatory grey area, the administration is finally moving to overhaul our ride-hailing system. Tech platforms will be invited to apply for registration this quarter, with the first batch of licences expected to be awarded by late November. In the fourth quarter, individual vehicle owners will be invited to apply for one of the initial 10,000 driver permits. The government expects regulated services to begin in December.The reason Hong Kong is late to the ride-hailing party will be familiar to long-time residents: the determination of vested interests in the taxi trade to protect their turf and the government’s unwillingness until recently to confront them. However, interests within the taxi trade are not monolithic; most of the 40,000 or so drivers do not own their vehicles, instead renting on a shift basis from one of the 9,000 or so individual and company licence holders that control the fleet of around 18,000 taxis.