FTU Demands Clear Answers On Whether Uber Is Legal

Around 30 people staged a protest outside the government's headquarters on Sunday, demanding a crackdown on illegal car-hire services. The call followed a crash involving an Uber car last week that left the driver dead.

The protesters, from taxi groups under the Federation of Trade Unions, said it is time for the government to make it clear once and for all whether Uber is legal and whether people have the protections they should have if they use the services.

Claiming that isn't the case, one demonstrator said allowing Uber cars in the city is just like "planting bombs on the road".

The collision involving an Uber driver in Kowloon City on Thursday night also left another four people injured.

The firm said afterwards that its drivers all have third-party insurance. Transport Secretary Frank Chan had told lawmakers in October that as long as the drivers also have car-hire permits, they would not be breaking the law.

A lack of such permits and insurance saw more than 20 Uber drivers arrested in a high-profile police campaign earlier last year.

At the protest, FTU lawmaker Michael Luk said he plans to question officials in Legco about whether such car-hire services really are operating lawfully.