Hong Kong Transport and Logistics Bureau Secretary Mable Chan visited ride-hailing company Didi’s Beijing headquarters on September 3, as the city prepares to introduce regulation for ride-hailing services. She said mainland experience in platform operations and regulation could help Hong Kong implement its ride-hailing service licensing regime.
Ming Pao reported that the Hong Kong government invited platform companies to apply for ride-hailing service licences on August 28. Didi had previously said it would submit an application as soon as possible and begin preparations, but the report did not say that the company had formally applied.
The delegation included 13 Legislative Council members, along with the directors of the Highways Department and Transport Department. It examined Didi’s platform operations, latest developments, urban traffic governance and technology innovation.
The delegation later visited the Beijing Transport Operation Monitoring and Dispatch Centre. Discussions with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport covered road traffic planning, artificial intelligence, big-data analysis, cloud computing and responses to traffic incidents.
Chan said the Hong Kong government was studying a traffic management platform that would use artificial intelligence to identify traffic bottlenecks and prepare emergency plans. She said Beijing’s experience in integrated traffic monitoring, forecasting, early warnings and co-ordinated emergency dispatch could provide a reference for Hong Kong.
The delegation was due to continue its Beijing programme on September 4. The visit comes as Hong Kong works on the design and implementation of its ride-hailing licensing system and considers how technology could support wider traffic management.