Hong Kong begins ride-hailing licence applications

The Hong Kong Transport Department has opened applications for ride-hailing service licences, with a deadline of October 30. This follows the passage of the Road Traffic (Amendment) (Ride-hailing Services) Ordinance 2025, which took effect on August 3, and the completion of related subsidiary legislation in mid-July. Applicants must be Hong Kong-registered companies with a permanent local office and executive personnel, demonstrating operational scale in a city of at least 7.5 million people and a daily average of 100,000 ride-hailing orders in two cities.

Financial requirements include a paid-up capital of no less than HK$50 million, bank deposits of at least HK$30 million, and credit facilities of at least HK$30 million. Applicants must also submit audited financial reports for the past three years. The assessment committee, comprising representatives from the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Digital Policy Office, and the Transport Department, will evaluate applications and recommend licences to the Commissioner for Transport.

Licences will be valid for up to five years, with an annual fee of HK$1.2 million. The Transport Department is also developing a ride-hailing vehicle data management system to monitor licensed platforms' operations in real time.

Brief written by urgent.news from RTHK English's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.