Hong Kong, 16 July 2025: With son-in-law Vincent hailing from Paris and grandson Nathan attending French International School, it is only natural, given my love of sport, that I take much interest in the world’s greatest cycle race. The ongoing Tour de France is a riveting spectacle combining drama, intrigue, guts and glory set against a backdrop of breathtaking scenery. When they reach the traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées on 27 July, the riders will have travelled 3,340km at an average speed of some 41km/h. Phew!
The hills and slopes of Hong Kong are less of a challenge but citizens still desire extra pedal power, even as the authorities apply the brakes. In their latest crackdown on the illegal use of so-called electric mobility devices (EMDs), police have arrested 81 people in a four-day sweep. Those detained are variously accused of using unregistered vehicles, lacking a valid licence or insurance, riding on pavements or failing to wear a helmet. Officers seized 73 electric bikes and eight e-scooters.
EMDs are banned on Hong Kong’s roads. They are classified as motor vehicles under the Road Traffic Ordinance, but the Transport Department considers them unsuitable to share carriageways with regular vehicles while also forbidding their use on footpaths. Hence, the general policy is that such devices are neither registered nor licensed.
This approach contrasts with other jurisdictions worldwide, where EMDs are permitted with limits on speed and power, a minimum age for riders and rules on where exactly they may be used. Some cities have, however, banned e-scooter rentals due to the dangers posed by inexperienced users. Clearly then, regulation of EMDs in Hong Kong is long overdue, with the government still drafting proposals to bring before the Legislative Council. In the meantime, anyone caught using one faces a HK$10,000 fine and up to 12 months behind bars.
E-bikes are particularly popular among food delivery workers, who find them affordable, efficient and easy to maintain. Faster than walking, less fuss than a motorbike. “They can jump red lights, go against the flow of traffic and ride on pavements and bridges,” complains one motorcyclist, irritated about losing business to his e-powered colleagues. For some, the risk of arrest is worth it.
But the game of cat-and-mouse between e-bikers and police is only a small piece in the complicated jigsaw of Hong Kong’s drive to adopt a more sustainable transport network. While there is praise for the Green Transformation Roadmap of Public Buses and Taxis, which will see the government subsidise the purchase of an additional 600 electric buses and 3,000 electric taxis, and install at least 500 new fast chargers, some campaigners feel the administration should be more ambitious.
“By 2027, less than one-fifth of franchised buses and less than one-third of taxis will transition to electric or hydrogen,” Patrick Fung, CEO of lobby group Clean Air Network, tells the sustainability platform Eco Business. He notes the government’s roadmap fails to mention plans for upgrading our city’s fleet of 4,350 public minibuses, while commercial lorries are another huge headache.
A glance to the north shows what can be done. In 2017, Shenzhen became the first major city in the world to electrify all its public buses. Its taxi fleet followed suit two years later. The city has 420,000 charging points. This reflects a nationwide trend, since China is the global leader in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, accounting for nearly two-thirds of such cars sold worldwide.
EVs are popular in Hong Kong. They represent some 12% of all private vehicles on our city’s streets and more than 60% of newly registered cars. But drivers are now hitting bumps in the road. Power company CLP will begin imposing a fee on customers for charging vehicles, ending 16 years of free service. The move, to align with “market development”, comes as charging fees are being gradually introduced in government carparks. As well, first-registration tax concessions for EVs have been reduced by 40%.
Now, the administration is proposing to ramp up the cost of an EV licence by more than 500% over the next five years amid a raft of revenue-generating measures – including increased tunnel tolls and heavier fines for traffic violations – as it seeks to tackle our city’s budget deficit. Lawmaker Michael Tien is furious, saying the plan is at odds with official efforts to encourage drivers to switch from petrol vehicles. “It’s contradictory,” he fumes.
Renewable energy and new technologies are just two of the sectors where corporate lawyer Paola Sangiovanni offers advice. Healthcare and life sciences as well. Now, adding to her workload, she has become president of global legal services organisation Ally Law. She discusses all this and more in typically engaging fashion as my latest guest on Law & More. Please listen.
If EVs represent our future, street hawking is a sunset industry, the government having stopped issuing licences in 1972 in an effort to remove food vendors through natural loss. Under ancient regulations, mobile licence holders cannot pass on their permit and are not even allowed to have someone stand in for them, meaning they have to occupy their stall at all times. So, hawkers such as Chan Tak-ching, aged 92, must carry on working in sweltering conditions so her assistants can continue to earn a living. Supporters insist street food stalls are a tourist attraction, but there is no sign of officials changing the rigid rules.
Thus, just like the Tour de France peloton and our weary delivery riders, Madam Chan has little choice but to – ahem – keep peddling.
Until next time, everybody!
Colin Cohen
Senior Partner
Boase Cohen & Collins
