Yesterday, more than 100 taxis from the New Territories and the city area staged a “slow drive” protest escorted by the police, starting from Sai Wan Ho and Kowloon Bay and ending by the Central Government Offices in Admiralty.
The drivers were protesting the influx of new taxi services such as GoGoVan, FlyTaxi, and Uber, and discounted taxi call services, which have sparked tensions between traditional cab drivers and those employed by the newer companies, reports Apple Daily.
Several dozen drivers gathered in front of the government office where they smashed taxi light boxes and rice bowls, claiming that the new driving services are ruining their livelihoods.
Angry taxi drivers also said that if the authorities don’t work to eliminate these new services, they will block the roads.
An Uber driver defended the new services on the radio today, saying that their drivers were trying to make a living as well, reports Ming Pao.
He also insisted that they aren’t stealing customers – they are “serving the public from the bottom of their hearts”.
Lawmaker and Panel on Transport member Christopher Chung said that this issue will be followed up by LegCo.
Chung said one of the concerns is the insurance purchased by Uber drivers and prices of these services consistently getting excessively cheaper over time.
Photo: Michael Coghlan via Flickr
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