Face Off: Should Hong Kong introduce stricter regulations for ride-hailing services? – YP

Cherry Chan attends St Mary’s Canossian College. Photo: Press Kit

Uncontrolled ride-hailing operations pose a serious threat to public safety and the established taxi industry. If ride-hailing taxis are to be considered comparable to traditional taxi services, it is imperative that drivers bear similar responsibility.

Ensuring proper licensing of drivers is about ensuring passenger safety. The government should conduct background and driving history checks on drivers in ride-hailing apps if they have a questionable past.

In addition to suspicious environments, the law also controls the behavior of drivers. Traffic regulations indicate how a taxi driver should behave – not to choose customers, to behave in a civilized and orderly manner, and most importantly, to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of his passengers.

Drivers’ behaviour has a direct impact on passengers’ well-being, and companies offering transport services currently have no regulations to guarantee the most comfortable service.

Traditional taxi services are bound by strict geographic restrictions when picking up and dropping off customers. They must adhere to strict vehicle safety standards to obtain a license.

The lack of such restrictions on ride-hailing services gives them a significant and unfair advantage, which negatively impacts the survival of traditional taxi services.

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In addition, taxis are burdened with taxes and fees, which creates a significant cost disadvantage. Maintaining a level playing field is crucial, as it is the livelihood of thousands of taxi drivers who have families to support. Ignoring their financial needs is not only unfair, but also inhumane.

Since these are essentially the same services, it is only fair that they share the same responsibility.

While additional laws and regulations may impact the development of these types of services, the priority should be to protect the safety of the general public and ensure the competitiveness of taxi drivers.

Regulations should not be treated as an obstacle, but as a safeguard for security and social balance.

Against: Hayden Chan, 16, Ying Wa College

Hayden Chan attends Ying Wa College. Photo: Press Kit

Rides on demand have become the new way to commute. Just open an app, hire a driver and travel freely from place to place. That is why it is gaining more public acceptance day by day. However, some critics have expressed concerns that rides on demand raise safety and competition issues, calling for more regulation.

There is no denying that in Hong Kong, private vehicle drivers are not allowed to accept paying customers without a permit. However, this does not lead to any safety issues. All drivers working on ride-hailing platforms are required to have a driving license. This means that each driver must pass a test before they can officially drive. Safety is ensured for both drivers and passengers. Uber serves over 70 countries around the world. In the United States, over 99.9% of rides were completed without any safety incidents in 2019 and 2020.

Many taxi drivers also complained about losing customers after ride-hailing services entered the industry a few years ago. However, according to a 2014 study, when Uber started operating in Hong Kong, most citizens switched to ride-hailing services mainly because of the poor quality of taxi services. The unilateral ban on ride-hailing platforms creates an unequal competition between the two sectors.

On the other hand, taxi drivers are responsible for modernizing and innovating their services, as well as adapting to the changing times in order to grow their business.

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For example, the creation of online platforms such as FlyTaxi and HKTaxi perfectly combine ride-hailing and taxi services. Therefore, the authorities should not tighten their regulations to support healthy competition.

Despite all the one-sided and biased penalties imposed on them, ride-hailing still beats taxis in terms of quality of service. Take Uber for example; they have a two-way rating system for customers and drivers. This motivates drivers to offer high-quality rides.

If authorities go ahead with the proposed tightening of restrictions, all services must cease by 2025 unless further permits are issued. Violators will have their licenses suspended and their vehicles impounded, meaning they will be unable to earn a living and lose their jobs. In terms of creating fair competition, Hong Kong should refrain from tightening regulations on ride-hailing services and instead issue more permits to qualified drivers in the future.