The Transport Department (TD) today invited interested platform companies to apply for ride-hailing service licences.

If an applicant company’s licence application is approved, the licence will be valid for a maximum period of five years, with an annual licence fee of HK$1.2 million.

The Government said that to ensure ride-hailing platforms have the operational capability to provide these services, it will impose certain requirements in areas such as booking management technology, operational experience, and proof of financial capability and capital investment.

Firstly, applicants must be companies registered in Hong Kong and maintain a permanent establishment of executive personnel and an office in Hong Kong to facilitate government regulation.

Applicant companies must demonstrate their scale of operations, including lawful operation in a city with a population comparable to Hong Kong's – 7.5 million or above.

In at least two cities where ride-hailing platform services are provided, the daily average number of orders processed in each city must reach 100,000 or more.

Additionally, applicant companies must demonstrate their financial capability to support the stable operation of their platforms in Hong Kong to provide proper and efficient services continuously.

Apart from filing audited financial reports for the past three years, applicants should possess no less than HK$50 million in company paid-up capital, and at least HK$30 million each in bank deposits and credit facilities.

Applicant companies must also submit a proposal detailing their service plans, such as corporate management, customer service, and due diligence to ensure compliance with owner-driver binding requirements.

Interested companies registered in Hong Kong may request invitation documents through the TD’s website. 

Additionally, the TD is developing a ride-hailing vehicle data management system to receive operational data in real time. Such data will help the Government regulate ride-hailing services, understand actual operations, and conduct dynamic assessments for future policy reviews.

The application closes at noon on October 30.