A 30-year-old Uber driver was fined HK$3,000 (about US$382) after pleading guilty to carrying a passenger without a proper permit, as the government vowed to continue its crackdown on ride-share drivers.
Ng Man-yiu made the guilty plea at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Two other men — Fan Wing-yau and Lam Kin-fat — who were also in court with Ng pleaded not guilty to the same charge.
According to on.cc, the three men were among around 30 Uber drivers who were arrested as a result of an operation last year against people driving for the US ride-share company.
The news outlet reported that Ng — a salesman who earns HK$18,000 (US$2,294) a month — charged a passenger HK$64 (US$8) for a trip from Tsuen Wan to Tsim Sha Tsui in June. That same journey using a Hong Kong taxi would typically cost between HK$130 to HK$145 (US$17 to US$18.)
Ng was contacted by the cops because the passenger used a credit card to pay for their fare, and he admitted that he is an Uber driver and did not have a license to carry passengers and collect fares.
Responding to the sentencing, the Transport Department (TD) said that from 2015 to the second quarter of 2018, 46 vehicles have been seized by authorities with the vehicle licenses suspended as a result of convictions for carrying passengers for hire of reward.
In a statement, they said they will also “continue to support the police for their enforcement actions against vehicles that carry passengers.”
Coconuts HK recently spoke with a number of rideshare drivers to discuss in depth their experience in the sector, which has been denounced by taxi drivers and deemed illegal by officials but generally supported by the public.
The Road Traffic Ordinances stipulates a maximum fine of HK$5,000 (US$637) and a potential three-month jail term for carrying passengers for hire or reward without the necessary permits.
Most of the 30,000 Uber drivers operating in Hong Kong work without a private hire-car permit, which are traditionally allocated to limousine companies and hotel pick-up services.
