The Hong Kong government has never talked about the legalization of ride sharing, Uber Asia Pacific headquarters abandoned and moved to Hong Kong to stay in Singapore

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Written by: Chen Jingqi

2020-07-30 13:00

Uber announced at the end of May this year that it intends to move its Asia-Pacific headquarters from Singapore to Hong Kong and establish a research and engineering center in Hong Kong, but the premise is that the authorities must study legislation to regulate car sharing services.

However, a person close to Uber revealed to Hong Kong 01 that Uber has revoked the decision to move its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Hong Kong, but it has nothing to do with Hong Kong’s implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Act on June 30. The reason is that the Hong Kong government is "lazy about Uber." Since Uber has invested in Hong Kong for 6 years, no official has been willing to meet with its representatives. By May this year, Uber threw out an olive branch to study the relocation of its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Hong Kong. However, the Hong Kong government has never legalized car sharing services. Start any conversation.

When Uber responded to the inquiry of "Hong Kong 01", it admitted that since the announcement of the plan to relocate its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong in May this year, it has received support from the general public and stakeholders in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the government has not yet clearly reviewed the feasible plan. In the short term, Uber will retain Singapore as its headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region and will continue to promote Hong Kong's regulation of car sharing.

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According to sources, Uber has decided to abandon the decision to move its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Hong Kong and temporarily keep it in Singapore. According to the news, the reason for Uber's abandonment of the plan is that since Uber was introduced to Hong Kong in 2014, no officials have been willing to meet in the 6 years so far, even if it was announced in May this year that it intends to come to Hong Kong to set up its Asia-Pacific headquarters and set up a research and engineering center to create With more job opportunities, the authorities are also "unmoved." Uber has tried in the past to contact government officials, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and Secretary of Transport and Housing, Chen Fan, to meet on the legalization of car sharing, but to no avail.

The news continued that the authorities mentioned again earlier that it would further strengthen the fight against the problem of white-licensed vehicles and illegal payment of passengers, and reiterated that the "Franchised Taxi Services Bill" will be submitted to the Legislative Council for deliberation in response to the public's better service quality. High new demand for personalized point-to-point public transportation services. After measuring, Uber believes that even if it plans to move its headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region, even with the support of many legislators and citizens, it once tried to negotiate with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, hoping to launch a cooperation plan to help restore the economy when the epidemic eases and subsides. But in the end, it hit the rocks because the authorities did not make any progress.

It is understood that Uber has no plans to withdraw from Hong Kong at this stage. It should launch more diversified transportation services in Hong Kong in the short term. It also hopes that there will be opportunities for dialogue with the government on car sharing and will continue to communicate with the taxi industry. And cooperation.

As for the decision to withdraw the relocation of the Asia-Pacific headquarters this time, there has not been any personnel changes or impact on Uber employees in Hong Kong. When Uber responded to "Hong Kong 01" inquiries, Uber announced in May this year that it intends to move the company's Asia Pacific headquarters to Hong Kong, but it is a prerequisite to discuss with the government a plan to regulate car sharing by local legislation. However, since the announcement of the plan, Uber has received support from the general public and stakeholders in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the government has not yet clearly reviewed the feasible plan. Uber will continue to promote Hong Kong's regulation of car sharing, so it will retain Singapore as its Asia Pacific headquarters in the short term.

Zhong Zhiting, general manager of Uber Hong Kong (left), announced on May 26 this year that he intends to move Uber's Asia Pacific headquarters to Hong Kong, but the premise is that the authorities must study legislation to regulate car sharing services. (Profile picture)

Uber announced on May 26 this year that it intends to move Uber's Asia Pacific headquarters to Hong Kong and establish a research and engineering center in Hong Kong. In the long run, it can strengthen the local scientific research and technology ecosystem and serve other regions including Australia, India, and Taiwan. Among them, it is necessary to recruit talents in operations, marketing, and engineering systems, which is expected to create more job opportunities for Hong Kong. However, before making relevant decisions, the authorities must study legislation governing car sharing services.

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Uber Transportation and Housing Bureau