More than 1,000 drivers apply to take written tests for new ride-hailing regulatory regime

More than 1,000 drivers have applied to take written tests required under new regulations for providing ride-hailing services such as Uber, the Transport Department has said. The Uber app. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The department’s announcement was made on Monday as some of the legal provisions under the new laws for regulating ride-hailing services came into effect. Under the regulatory regime, the government now requires ride-hailing drivers to to hold a specific licence, for which passing the test is a pre-requisite. The test for taxi drivers has been merged with the new test, meaning both ride-hailing and taxi drivers will sit for the same exam. The first batch of the 45-minute written exams will be held in mid-September, the Transport Department told local media. Licences will be issued from November. The ride-hailing services laws, passed last October, stipulate that drivers convicted of carrying passengers for hire or reward without a permit will be disqualified from driving for between 12 months and three years. The Uber app on a driver’s phone. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. They also face a fine of up to HK$10,000 for a first offence. Before the new laws, the offence carried a maximum penalty of HK$5,000 for a first offence and no driving disqualification. Speaking on an RTHK programme, Roundtable lawmaker Mark Chong said that ride-hailing drivers may continue to operate, believing the risk of enforcement is low. He suggested they pivot to working as taxi drivers before obtaining their licences later this year. New legislation Ride-hailing services have grown in popularity over the years amid increasing public frustration over taxi service standards. Uber was first introduced to Hong Kong in 2014, but ride-hailing vehicles have always operated in a legal grey area with no dedicated legislation. The city’s taxi industry has long accused ride-hailing platforms of impacting cab drivers’ livelihoods. Taxis in Hong Kong. File photo: GovHK. Besides ride-hailing drivers, ride-hailing platforms must also obtain a licence under the new rules. From next August, when the regulatory regime comes into full force, operators of ride-hailing platforms that do not have a licence will face a maximum fine of HK$1 million and up to a year in jail. Hong Kong has set a ride-hailing permit cap of 10,000 vehicles. After the government announced the cap, Uber said a survey of riders found many were concerned about longer wait times and increased fares. Uber, as well as mainland Chinese ride-hailing platform Didi, have said they are preparing their licence applications. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law. Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law. More by James Lee