TAC Welcomes Completion of Scrutiny of Four Pieces of Subsidiary Legislation Regarding Regulation of Ride-Hailing Services

TAC welcomes completion of scrutiny of four pieces of subsidiary legislation regarding regulation of ride-hailing services

The following is issued on behalf of the Transport Advisory Committee:

The Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) welcomes the completion of scrutiny of the four pieces of subsidiary legislation relating to the regulation of ride-hailing services by the Legislative Council.

Photo source: reference image

With advancements in technology and changing travel patterns, booking and providing personalised point-to-point transport services through online channels have become an international trend. The TAC welcomes the Government's proposal to regulate ride-hailing services from three aspects, namely platforms, vehicles and drivers, in line with the three major policy objectives of "people-oriented, complementary coexistence and overall control", to safeguard passengers' safety and rights, and to meet and facilitate the public's travel needs.

The Chairman of the TAC, Professor Wong Sze-chun, Photo source: reference image

The Chairman of the TAC, Professor Wong Sze-chun, said, "The TAC expects that with the implementation of the regulatory regime for ride-hailing services, a healthy and sustainable competitive environment can be fostered in Hong Kong's overall personalised point-to-point transport services market. Within the public transport system of Hong Kong, taxis and ride-hailing services complement each other through their respective operating models, enabling a mutually beneficial coexistence and leveraging their own strengths to provide passengers with diverse travel options. The TAC supports the Government in conducting dynamic assessments in response to market developments and actual operational conditions after the implementation of the regulatory regime, and in reviewing in a timely manner whether adjustments to the number of ride-hailing vehicles are required."

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Employer sanctioned for violating requirements of local recruitment under Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme

The Labour Department (LD) today (August 10) announced the imposition of an administrative sanction on Waso Cafe (PE) Limited. With immediate effect, the LD has terminated the processing of the application previously submitted by the company under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS). In parallel, the LD will, from today, refuse to process any applications for importing labour under the ESLS submitted by the above company for a period of one year.

"After investigation, the LD established that the above company had breached the requirements under the ESLS during the local recruitment exercise by providing false information to the LD while applying for the importation of waiters/waitresses, junior cooks and dish washers. An administrative sanction is thus imposed," a spokesman for the LD said.

The spokesman stressed, "Employers applying for the importation of workers under the ESLS should strictly comply with the scheme requirements, including according priority to employing suitable local workers. The ESLS stipulates that if an employer violates labour or immigration laws, the requirements of the ESLS, or the Standard Employment Contract, the LD will impose an administrative sanction on the employer. Such sanctions may include terminating the processing of submitted applications of the employer, withdrawing approvals for the importation of workers previously granted, and refusing to process any subsequent applications submitted by the employer."

The Labour Department, Photo source: reference image