5 Day Taxi Strike Threat - No More

[hongkongmusic]

You've learned the art of misdirection very well, leading this topic away from the point with your nonsense.

It's no wonder internet forums are the way they are.

Another poster mentioned the ones legislating laws in Hong Kong can in many cases be the ones who own the taxi licenses. Same goes for property development. Massive conflict of interest but who governs the government? Nobody and there's no accountability due to well, the current political climate to put it nicely.

It's OK paddy to admit you haven't been here long enough to understand the murky waters of Hong Kong politics and economics. Give it time. No shame in that.

[DonDiego]

But, if they ever free up the taxi market and allow a ride share product to be fully legalised with the approval of government, then you should achieve the same aspects as what happened in Australia. Soon after ride share platforms were allowed to operate, the fringe benefit, long term, was that it munted the previously existent $500,000 taxi plates, to about $150,000aud initially, and now from my cursory check on what taxi plates cost now, $70,000aud is about where they sit now.

So, those holding onto hkg taxi licenses worth $8,000,000hkd, have every right to be rather cagey about anything that poses a threat to their investment. You wouldnt want ride share legalised either, if you were holding the bag worth 8 mil of your own hard earned Dosh, at stake.

Eventually, ride sharing will be a legal thing in HKG, just not right now.

And that is one reason that there are many class action suits against various levels of governments. It's so simple to fix the world problems sitting in front of a computer when you don't have to deal with any consequences

[alexdown]

B is undercutting A because they don't have to pay a licence to offer the same service.
I will support B because of C.

Licenses and regulations exist supposedly to ensure the market players provide a better and more consistent service.
If the service is still substandard, customers will chose the unregulated option if that's better. And in HK, it is.

[alexdown]

Predictability of
- Fixed Pick up points - Taxi stands allow Taxis to wait. Such taxi stands would fail to work in a free for all
- Hailing - Seeing a taxi and just flagging it down

This is a very overlooked point imho. In places like Singapore, where Grab is the norm, one can't flag a taxi any more. They simply don't stop. App has become the ONLY option now

[DonDiego]

Though I very rarely take cabs since public transport is excellent. I have never taken a Uber in HK, I can't be bothered when it's so easy to flag a taxi and trips are generally short.

[Skyhook]

To be clear, the taxi as we knew it and actually having a driver, it's days are numbered.

Our Billionaire overlords are going to replace as many jobs with AI equipped workplace automation, as they can.

Taxis today, your job, tomorrow. Unless of course, you're high enough up the financial layer cake of life, to benefit from.

It does pose ethical questions about how all of this will dismantle the very fabric of society as we once knew it. Definitely going to be some very hungry people in the future.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BZzoVdxbD/

[Beanieskis]

Though I very rarely take cabs since public transport is excellent. I have never taken a Uber in HK, I can't be bothered when it's so easy to flag a taxi and trips are generally short.

Try flagging a cab in a village in the New Territories...

[tparker]

Another poster mentioned the ones legislating laws in Hong Kong can in many cases be the ones who own the taxi licenses. Same goes for property development. Massive conflict of interest but who governs the government? Nobody and there's no accountability due to well, the current political climate to put it nicely.

This is indeed the sad reality of many aspects to life in Hong Kong, and it goes beyond property development of course. On the other hand, Beijing would not hesitate to bend Jack Ma over their lap and give a bare bottom spanking... and frustration has been expressed over the influence HK property developers exert and have been asked to do do more for Hong Kong. If anything, I expect some changes now given the "current political climate".

Didi is legally regulated on the Mainland, and for all the shoe shining our HK bureaucrats do, they should extend their patriotic duty to ride hailing. IMO it's what the people want. Nobody is calling for taxis to be banished - but the people at large, I'd safely surmise, couldn't give a toss about the taxi license holders. If they disappear organically because of "supply and demand" and because they fail to compete or provide value, then so be it. I do believe there is always a demand for them.

Purchasing a taxi license is a business decision. Whether businesses are sustainable (NFT's or Face Mask factory anyone?) - that's a risk for the entrepreneur to assess. Industrialisation on the large part reduced factory & farming labour, computers put others out of work. New MTR lines have put a strain on bus companies. Nobody would argue to stop MTR expansion for the purpose of keeping KMB profitable.

$2mil for a taxi license is/was a crazy amount to pay for it, and those who did should have considered the consequences beforehand.

Otherwise why stop at taxis? The government can start subsidising all sorts of failed entrepreneurs for bad purchasing decisions....

(I see similar parallels with the "black license plates" too, which used to cost crazy amounts of money. Granted border capacity limits are a legitimate issue. Allowing HK-plate cars to drive through HZMB no doubt pissed off a few stakeholders, but it's a move in the right direction).

[ByeByeEngland]

This is a very overlooked point imho. In places like Singapore, where Grab is the norm, one can't flag a taxi any more. They simply don't stop. App has become the ONLY option now

I would argue it was difficult enough before the app!