Uber Hong Kong offices raided and five drivers arrested in undercover investigation
Two of Uber’s Hong Kong offices have been raided and five of its drivers have been arrested for allegedly operating without a hire permit and driving without the correct insurance.
A senior Hong Kong police inspector, Bruce Hung, informed reporters from the South China Morning Post that undercover officers posed as customers and hired cars via the Uber app, arresting five drivers aged between 28 and 65.
The drivers were detained for using a car for hire without a permit and driving without the proper insurance. Hung said the police were “confident that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute the drivers” and urged the public not to use the service.
The company’s international expansion efforts were further hampered after two of its local offices were raided by police resulting in a further three arrests and police seizing computers and documents.
The arrests come after weeks of intensifying protests against Uber and other car-hailing who traditional taxi drivers claim are operating without a hire car permit.
Uber says that it checks if drivers have mandated third-party insurance as part of its standard screening process however it is unclear is if the company requires drivers to hold a hire car permit.
The Drum has reached out to Uber for comment and is awaiting a reply.