Hong Kong’s Transport and Logistics Bureau has released enforcement figures showing that police arrested nine drivers and impounded nine locally registered private cars between 27 October and 9 November for “cross-boundary illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward”. The announcement, made in a Legislative Council Q&A published on 11 November, highlights official concern that unlicensed ride-hailing is spilling over the Shenzhen border and undermining franchised coach operators. The offence carries a maximum fine of HK$100,000 and six months’ imprisonment, with vehicles liable to 30-day impoundment. Authorities said intelligence-driven spot checks will continue at popular pickup points near Lok Ma Chau and Shenzhen Bay. For corporate mobility managers arranging ground transport for visiting staff, the arrests serve as a warning to book only licensed cross-boundary hire cars or coaches with proper quotas. Using an app-based service that lacks the relevant permit could invalidate insurance coverage and expose travellers to delays if vehicles are seized. Regulators are simultaneously reviewing quota flexibility for legitimate cross-boundary hire cars as part of wider boundary-point reforms, but stressed that any relaxation would be “premised on safety and orderly operations”. Industry associations have welcomed the crackdown, saying illegal operators undercut compliant firms by up to 40 %.
Source: HKSAR Government Press Release
