Kenneth She Chun-chi, general manager of Uber Hong Kong, said the transport industry should be a win-win affair for everyone.
He said the greatest opposition to Uber did not come from the cabbies themselves but from the owners of taxi firms, who have spent millions of dollars on licences and see Uber as a threat to their vested interests.
“I have a clear conscience,” She said. “All along what I’ve done has not in any way affected cabbies’ livelihoods. On the contrary, we’ve offered them opportunities to be our drivers. And the working hours are very flexible.”
He added that a family member was a taxi driver, and he was aware of cabbies’ daily struggles.
“The problem lies with some taxi firms that own a large number of licences. But a taxi licence should serve as a tool [for cabbies], not as a commodity for investment,” he said.
“It’s a pity that this historical issue remains unresolved.”
The 30-year-old Oxford University graduate was speaking amid an ongoing legal battle involving five Uber drivers charged with using a car for hire without a permit and driving without third-party insurance.
Their trial, the result of a police raid on Uber offices following complaints by taxi drivers in August 2015, will resume on February 27.
The Hong Kong firm, founded nearly three years ago, focuses on ride-sharing platforms UberX and UberBlack as well as meal delivery service UberEats. It also provides special services, such as helicopter rides, on a seasonal basis.
The government stopped issuing taxi licences in 1994, and the number of vehicles has remained flat, at slightly more than 18,000, since. As of January, a licence, freely tradable in the market, costs about HK$6.6 million ($1.1 million).
At present, there are approximately 9,000 taxi licence holders in Hong Kong, 8,000 of whom are solo cab owners, and around 40,000 drivers.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said earlier that any changes to the current system should consider the public interest, including those holding licences.
However, She said the government should respect the needs of Hong Kongers, who require more transport options to make life easier, more efficient and convenient.
“The fact that our number of riders has reached over one million with more than 30,000 drivers working under us, just within two years of operation, shows Hong Kong really needs our service,” he said. “We’ll keep explaining this to all stakeholders, including the government.”
