Uber is jacking up its prices in Hong Kong.
Starting from Wednesday, base fares for Hong Kong island and Kowloon will shoot up to HK$18, from their previous rate of HK$10 and HK$7 respectively.
The base rate for the New Territories, though, will remain unchanged at HK$7.
The figures were included in a screenshot of what appears to be a message from the company, posted in a Facebook group for Uber drivers in Hong Kong.
The message also mentioned:
- The per/km fare for Hong Kong Island will drop slightly to HK$5.5 from HK$6
- The per/km fare for Kowloon will also be HK$5.5 (a slight rise from HK$5 in the past)
- The per/km fare for the New Territories will stay at HK$5
- The per minute fare will be HK$1 across all areas (previous it was HK$1 for Hong Kong Island but only HK$0.6 for Kowloon and the New Territories).
The company will also start charging a waiting fee of HK$2 per minute for passengers that keep drivers waiting three minutes after they’ve arrived at the pick-up point.
Mitigating the rise, at least briefly, Uber will offer a 30 per cent discount on all trips from Monday until September 9, the SCMP wrote.
Coconuts HK has reached out to Uber to confirm the new price details.
As we explored earlier this year, the US ride-share company has had a tumultuous time since entering the Hong Kong market in 2014, with the government deeming its services illegal as most ride-share drivers don’t hold the necessary permits.
