Police on Tuesday raided the Hong Kong offices of taxi-hailing service Uber Inc and arrested five drivers for the “illegal use of vehicles for hire,” police said.
A Hong Kong police senior inspector, Bruce Hung, said undercover police officers had used a mobile phone app to hail five cars and arrested the drivers after being driven to their destinations.
He said the drivers did not have the required hire car permits or third party insurance.
Photo: AFP / APPLE DAILY
“The police officers’ fares had been settled using a credit card,” Hung said.
Harold Li, Uber spokesman for North Asia, said Uber stood by its “driver-partners 100 percent” and welcomed the chance to work with authorities “towards updated regulations that put the safety and interests of riders and drivers first.”
“Uber ensures that all rides are covered by insurance and all drivers on the platform undergo an extensive background check,” Li yesterday said in an e-mail.
Police also searched two offices in Hong Kong on Tuesday, including at least one belonging to Uber, a police spokeswoman said. Police were shown on Hong Kong television taking away documents, computers and iPads.
At least three Uber staff were taken away by police, according to Hong Kong’s Cable Television.
The move came after taxi drivers mounted protests against the online service for hurting their livelihoods. Uber has faced similar protests across the world, including in China where the US-headquartered firm is expanding rapidly.
“Hongkongers have made it clear that they want more, better transportation options in our city and Uber is deeply committed to making sure they have unrestricted access to safe, reliable, quality options,” Li said.
In May, Chinese authorities raided the offices of Uber on suspicion of an “unlicensed operation.”
Uber, which has been valued at more than US$51 billion, is a comparative latecomer in China, where the number of mobile taxi-hailing app users is forecast to triple to 45 million by this year from 2013, according to Chinese research firm iResearch.
Domestic firms Kuaidi Dache (快的打車) and Didi Dache (滴滴打車), backed by tech giants Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (阿里巴巴) and Tencent Holdings Ltd (騰訊) respectively, have 90 percent of the market sewn up.
The two said in February they would merge.
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