In an interview with the Post, Andrew Byrne said that Hong Kong could learn from Australia’s use of a A$1.2 (78 US cents) levy, initially set at A$1, on ride-hailing and taxi services to compensate cabbies impacted by the legalisation of online ride-sharing platforms.

“So, I think, perhaps referring to a scheme that exists in Australia at the moment, where in every taxi ride and every Uber ride there is an A$1 fee that is collected as part of that service, and that goes into a fund to help taxi drivers with any hardships they encounter as part of the transition to a new kind of service,” he said.

Under the policy, which was introduced in 2018, Uber is required to collect the levy on behalf of the government and pay it into the fund.

A similar idea has already been submitted to Hong Kong authorities for its planned regulatory regime for online ride-hailing service platforms.

Byrne also said that the licensing fee for registering ride-hailing drivers should not be too high, or it would deter people from joining the trade.