Hong Kong, 17 February 2025: With Hong Kong taxi drivers threatening to strike over illegal ride-hailing operators, Colin Cohen has told radio listeners the government should be decisive by implementing legislation that puts citizens’ interests first.
“We’re behind the times in Hong Kong and the most important people in this long-running dispute are not the taxi drivers or their Uber rivals, but the public. Citizens simply want convenient, affordable and reliable transport from A to B and they want fair competition,” he told RTHK Radio 3’s Backchat programme this morning.
Pressed by presenters Jenny Lam and Ada Wong about what is wrong with the city’s taxi industry, Colin – Senior Partner in Boase Cohen & Collins – highlighted the “archaic” licensing system, a failure to modernise and powerful support for the taxi lobby within the Legislative Council. “The core issue is the legalisation of ride-hailing apps. This is what the public wants, the legislation is not difficult to implement and then proper regulation of the ride-hailing industry is required. But do legislators have the will to see this through? We’ve been talking about this for years.”
Ride-hailing operators remain illegal in Hong Kong but are hugely popular, while traditional taxis face mounting criticism over ageing vehicles and poor service. Taxi drivers are generally opposed to the newcomers and, in the latest development, are threatening a five-day strike next month if authorities fail to clamp down on the apps.
The general consensus is that since drivers for Uber and other platforms do not possess a private-hire permit, they are breaking the law, but passengers are not. New transport minister Mable Chan has pledged to legalise ride-hailing and open the sector to all players. A framework for regulating the platforms is expected to go before lawmakers this year.
The radio discussion also featured Professor Alejandro Reyes (pictured with Colin) from the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Politics and Public Administration and Legislative Councillor Doreen Kong.
Colin is a regular guest on Backchat, offering legal input on a range of hot topics. In recent months he has commented on the broadcasting of court hearings, closer legal co-operation between Hong Kong and Middle East nations, and alleged exploitation of construction workers.
