Dire new penalties for taxi substitutes – another sign of brain dead transport/innovation policy

Echoing reports that the HKSAR is proposing stiff penalties on non-franchised vehicles for private rental, it goes to show the government’s propensity to protect vested interest groups whilst crushing any new innovative green shoots (e.g. online ride hailing businesses).

If the government can ‘study’ other countries in the severity of penalties, why can it not study harder how they are leaving HK in the dust in terms of embracing new technology that encourage competition, improve quality of service, and benefit drivers and riders alike (but to the disadvantage of the taxi licence holding rent seekers).

Here are the writer’s previous commentaries on this topic:
HK Taxi: the twisted ecology http://yulun2012.blogspot.com/2016/12/blog-post.html
Industry officials follow carpool linger http://yulun2012.blogspot.com/2018/03/blog-post.html