Battling for legal recognition amid a police crackdown on their service, Uber Hong Kong is appealing directly to Hongkongers to go online and make their case for the company.
Yesterday, the ride-sharing service launched an “#IChooseUber” campaign asking users to share their positive experiences with the service as well as their reasons for choosing Uber over taxis online.
The campaign is being mounted in response to a concerted crackdown on the service, which last Tuesday saw 22 Uber drivers arrested on suspicion of driving without a hired car permit or third-party insurance.
The company has since placed advertisements in various newspapers and online platforms, urging public support. As of 11am today, more than 6,200 users have shared their Uber stories online.
In an open letter published yesterday, Uber Hong Kong’s General Manager Kenneth She expressed disappointment in the police operation, saying Uber had no plans to give up on the Hong Kong market and adding the firm will provide full legal support to the drivers arrested.
She said that Uber will continue to look for a win-win situation with the new government under Chief Executive-elect Carrie Lam to legalize Uber’s service, something the firm managed to accomplish in Singapore.
Hong Kong is hardly the first city to present issues with the introduction of Uber’s service. In March, the Thai government carried out the “Uber witch hunt” which mistakenly accused a man of being an Uber driver after driving his foreign friends with his own car.
Last month, representatives of songthaew operators — the main public transportation in Chiang Mai — also demanded that the local transport office be punished for failing to stop Uber drivers, and asked for a complete ban of Uber and Grab in Thailand.
