In a milestone for urban mobility, Hong Kong’s Transport and Logistics Bureau revealed on Saturday (18 July) that it will start accepting applications next month for the territory’s first ride-hailing licences, with the inaugural batch of permits expected to be issued by late November. Four subsidiary regulations passed the Legislative Council last week, setting an initial market cap of 10,000 vehicles and bringing long-awaited legal clarity to platforms such as Uber, DiDi and local start-ups. Under the framework, platforms—not individual drivers—must apply for an operator’s licence, submit real-time trip data and meet minimum insurance standards, while drivers retain the flexibility to work across multiple apps. Authorities will run a demand survey in September and deploy a smart monitoring dashboard to adjust the quota every two to three months, preventing supply imbalances that plague other cities. The reform package also lowers the compulsory medical-exam age for commercial drivers from 70 to 65 and introduces more frequent health checks, aligning Hong Kong with international road-safety benchmarks. Separately, the Transport Department is expanding bus networks to the soon-to-open Huanggang Port to ensure first-mile / last-mile connectivity for cross-boundary commuters. For corporate mobility managers, the regulated ride-hailing ecosystem promises reliable e-receipts, standardised safety metrics and reduced grey-area liabilities when transporting expatriates or visiting executives. Mobility-allowance policies may need to be updated to reflect approved platforms and to capture GST-equivalent input claims. Early-mover platforms that secure licences could gain a significant share of Hong Kong’s premium point-to-point market, currently worth HK$60 billion annually.
Source: The Standard (Hong Kong)
