Ride-hailing | Committee receives over a thousand public submissions, about 70% believe the 10k quota is insufficient and advocate increasing or even removing the limit.

The Legislative Council Subcommittee on Regulation of Ride-hailing Related Subsidiary Legislation invited submissions from the public and other sectors by July 15 on the relevant legislation on June 8. According to our newspaper’s tally of about 1,120 public submissions, around 70% believe that 10,000 ride-hailing vehicle license plates are insufficient, and suggest raising the cap or even removing it altogether. The authorities reiterated that the 10,000-vehicle quota is prudent and appropriate, and will review in due course whether the number needs adjustment.

The Transport and Logistics Bureau yesterday (June 30) submitted a document to the Legislative Council, saying that the subcommittee had received a total of 1,221 submissions, including 25 from organizations, such as transportation organizations; ride-hailing platforms Uber and Gaode Taxi; and taxi groups including the Hong Kong Taxi Industry Council and the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association. The remaining submissions were made by the public. Excluding dozens of documents that were limited to being referred to only by members, our newspaper’s tally of about 1,120 submissions indicates that at least 763 people—nearly 70%—believe that issuing 10,000 ride-hailing license plates is insufficient, or oppose imposing a cap on the number of licenses issued.

Some residents described the issuance of 10,000 licenses as “out of touch with reality,” worrying that it would increase waiting times and affect the travel experience of residents and tourists. Members of the public proposed raising the limit to between 15,000 and 50,000. Some residents also believe that 10,000 quotas are too conservative and suggest having no cap, so that the market can adjust freely. Other views say that issuing 10,000 licenses is too many and would have an excessive impact on the taxi industry, and suggest issuing only 2,000; they also recommend that ride-hailing license plates should be prioritized for existing taxi drivers applying.

Uber reiterated that the 10,000-license cap is lower than public travel demand, urging the government to re-examine or dynamically adjust the cap before the regulations are fully implemented. Didi Chuxing supports starting with 10,000 licenses and suggests that the government should continue to refer to changes in market supply and demand, waiting times, and other factors, so as to review how the system operates based on actual circumstances.

The authorities say they have fully listened to opinions; will review again based on data in the future

Regarding views that the 10,000-license cap is insufficient to meet ride-hailing service demand, the Transport and Logistics Bureau responded that the government has fully listened to opinions from all sectors of society and comprehensively considered data on point-to-point service demand, and believes that the current quota is a prudent, sound, and appropriate approach—so as to ensure the smooth implementation of the ride-hailing service regulatory regime. In the future, the government will refer to the data submitted by platforms, conduct holistic dynamic assessments, and review in a timely manner whether it is necessary to adjust the number of ride-hailing services.

The authorities also said that ride-hailing services must complete the specified number of trips within a designated period for the vehicle permit to be renewed, but there will be no restriction on the hours that ride-hailing drivers can be online. This preserves a greater degree of flexibility, allowing ride-hailing drivers to provide services and adjust capacity according to their own operational needs and market demand.