Hong Kong police intercept 8 cars over suspected illegal hire after cab union chief apologises for strike threat
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong police have intercepted eight drivers on suspicion of using their private vehicles for illegal hire.
Six men and two women, aged between 36 and 63, were intercepted on Wednesday by police officers who posed as passengers, the police said. The citywide operation came hours after a taxi union called off a planned strike demanding stricter government regulation of ride-hailing platforms. Its head later apologised to the public.
Senior Inspector Cheng Ho-ming of the Kowloon West traffic unit told the press on Wednesday evening that three cars were taken away by the police for further investigation.
Cheng did not confirm whether the eight drivers were arrested. He also refused to disclose the ride-hailing platforms involved, saying the information was part of the police operation details.
“Citizens should choose legal transportation when they are going out. If the vehicle is used for illegal hire, its third-party insurance may be annulled. If any accident happens, road users and passengers would lose protection,” Cheng said in Cantonese.
Under the Road Traffic Ordinance, it is an offence for anyone to use a vehicle for hire without a valid licence. Those convicted could face a fine of HK$10,000 and six months of imprisonment on the first offence. The penalty could be raised to a HK$25,000 fine and one year behind bars on subsequent offences.
Taxi strike threat
On Wednesday, the Transport Advisory Committee met with taxi industry representatives on the regulation of ride-hailing platforms.
Shortly after the meeting, the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association, which had threatened to stage a strike in March if the authorities failed to commit to a crackdown, announced it cancelled the plan.
Wong Yu-ting, the union’s chairperson, said he believed law enforcement agencies would take action after the city’s leader had “spoken.”
Chief Executive John Lee addressed the strike threat on Tuesday, saying that many taxi industry representatives had indicated they would not support or take part in “drastic action.”
He urged the taxi sector to express their views rationally, adding that such action would only harm the interests of citizens.
Chairperson Wong apologised for causing “unease” to the public, according to RTHK.
Hong Kong is seeking to regulate online ride-hailing platforms such as Uber by rolling out a licencing system. A proposal outlining the regulatory details is expected later this year.
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