Representatives from more than 20 taxi groups staged a protest outside West Kowloon Government Offices on Friday to demand a crackdown on illegal ride-hailing services.
Chow Kwok-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, said the sector's representatives hope to meet with officials and accelerate the introduction of laws that regulate ride-hailing platforms.
He said ride-hailing services are causing a drop in income of about 20 percent for taxi drivers.
When asked if the taxi trade plans to hold a strike if officials don’t provide a satisfactory response, Chow said there is no need for such action as drivers are already disengaging from their usual work routine because they feel earnings are insufficient to constitute a living wage.
“The next step, as I have mentioned, is to invite taxi associations to sign authorisation letters, which we will then submit to the Chief Executive’s Office for official attention," Chow said.
"Currently, both taxi owners and drivers feel there is no law governing the illegal carriage of passengers.
"That’s the biggest problem.”
The Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association earlier threatened a citywide strike, urging officials to take immediate action on the issue.
It called off the strike following a meeting with transport officials, with Chief Executive John Lee warning that it would be against public interest and could be exploited by people with bad motives.
Taxi groups push for faster curbs on ride-hailing ops
2025-05-09 HKT 11:46
