16,000 Chase Taxi and Ride-Hailing Test as Hong Kong Readies 10,000-Car Lottery
Photo: WiNG / CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
16,000 Chase Taxi and Ride-Hailing Test as Hong Kong Readies 10,000-Car Lottery
A sign-up surge, from 1,000 to 16,000 in weeks
About 16,000 Hong Kong residents have signed up for the joint written test for taxi and ride-hailing drivers, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on a Saturday radio programme. The figure caps a steep climb: just over 1,000 people applied when the combined test launched in August, more than 7,500 had applied by late summer, and the tally passed 11,000 in late September. The latest count adds roughly 5,000 more within weeks, a response Chan called enthusiastic.
November will decide how 10,000 permits are handed out
Speaking on RTHK's Accountability programme, Chan said details of how the 10,000 ride-hailing vehicle permits will be allocated will be announced in November. Applications for ride-hailing platform licences are about to close, and the first batch of approved platforms is expected to be unveiled in late November or early December. The government wants operators with real teams and a commitment to set up in Hong Kong, so that ride-hailing cars and taxis complement rather than cannibalise each other.
Rote route questions are out, and six in ten pass
The combined test merges and streamlines the old taxi exam, cutting questions that demanded memorisation of individual routes in favour of testing grasp of district-level directions. Thousands of applications arrived in the first week after the rules took effect, and the pass rate now stands above 60 per cent. Chan read that as proof that candidates are taking the test seriously, and that the exam is doing its job as a filter for people with adequate knowledge of the trade.
Oversubscribed, so a lottery looms, with weighting for some
With 16,000 hopefuls chasing 10,000 vehicle permits, oversubscription is a given, and Chan confirmed a lottery is the fairest way forward. But the draw may be weighted: people who registered or finished the test early, those who sat the taxi written test before the new law took effect, and young or part-time newcomers could get better odds. The government says it does not want to shut out part-timers or career-switchers, and is working on a formula that balances full-timers against new entrants.
Full-time drivers fear losing their livelihood
Nobody is watching the lottery design more anxiously than existing full-time ride-hailing drivers. One driver told local media he works about 10 hours a day with no days off to support his family, and failing to secure a permit would hit him like a bombshell. Under the new regime, each vehicle permit costs HK$1,560 for up to 12 months, a five-year driving permit costs HK$410, and vehicles must carry commercial third-party insurance covering ride-hailing use. Qualified drivers will be allowed to take orders across more than one platform.
Two lists to watch before the year ends
Two announcements will decide what happens next: the application and allocation details for the 10,000 vehicle permits in November, and the first batch of licensed platforms in late November or early December. Under Transport Department rules, applicants must pass the written test and complete a pre-service course within the year before applying, while holders of a valid full taxi driving licence can apply for a ride-hailing driving permit directly without sitting the test. As the full regulatory regime lands next year, the contest for the 10,000 permits is only just beginning.