The transport chief said that ride-hailing service permits must not turn into instruments of speculation, as the government took the first formal step towards legalising the industry.

The Road Traffic (Amendment) (Ride-hailing Service) Bill 2025 was gazetted on Friday with an aim of introducing a regulatory regime for ride-hailing services and safeguarding the public's travel safety.

Under the proposal, each permit is tied to one vehicle and its registered owner, who must be the sole driver. This is different from the taxi trade, where drivers often rent a cab from a third party.

Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the restriction can effectively prevent illegal workers and liability issues.

"In other words, car owners cannot lease or lend their vehicles to others to provide ride-hailing services. By requiring owners to operate their own cars, service quality will be ensured," she said.

"This set-up will prevent the emergence of a rental market for ride-hailing cars and also prevent ride-hailing licences from becoming assets that people can speculate on."

Under the plan, the proposed vehicle age limit is 12 years, five years longer than the original cap floated by the Transport and Logistics Bureau in July.

Chan said the extension would allow more drivers and vehicles to join the market.

"Safety is our main concern. Therefore, we've set a limit on the age of operating vehicles," she said.

"For ride-hailing vehicles, as they are private cars, many of them are for own use.

"The cars may be used to offer ride-hailing services one day or a few hours per week. Therefore, the number of operating hours is not as long as full time.

"We have also looked at the [proposed vehicle age] limit of 12 years, which is very similar to those overseas."

Chan hopes the bill's passage will promote healthy competition between ride-hailing service providers and taxis, and that the two can complement each other.