At the heart of the issue is the number of hire-car permits available for ride-hailing services. Currently there are only 1,500. Uber, which launched in Hong Kong a decade ago and has been unregulated since, has more than 10,000 drivers in the city.
Hong Kong outlined long-anticipated plans to regulate ride-hailing services, potentially limiting the scope of Uber Technologies in a city known for its poor taxi services.
Authorities intend to license platforms such as Uber and adopt tougher penalties for rule breaking, the Transport and Logistics Bureau said in a paper published on Monday. Taxi services would be improved through the introduction of so-called premium fleets, it said.
