Uber Acquires Rival Fly Taxi in Hong Kong, Sing Tao Reports
May 1, 2026 – 10:42 am
Uber has acquired the main remaining alternative taxi-hailing app in Hong Kong, according to a Sing Tao Daily report cited by Bloomberg.
The transaction, which has not yet been independently confirmed, solidifies Uber’s position in the city’s taxi-hailing market five months before new ride-hailing licensing regulations are expected to take effect.
Fly Taxi, locally known as ‘Fly Taxi 的士’, is the metered-taxi booking app that emerged as a viable alternative to Uber after its 2021 acquisition of HKTaxi. While HKTaxi, the most popular cab-hailing app in Hong Kong at the time with over 70,000 registered drivers, was fully integrated into Uber and shut down in February 2025, Fly Taxi inherited a significant user base.
The acquisition is strategically timed with Hong Kong’s upcoming regulatory shift. The Road Traffic Amendment Bill, passed by the city’s Legislative Council in October 2025, established a licensing framework for ride-hailing platforms. Under these new rules, platform operators and drivers must meet specific requirements, including vehicle age limits and driver qualifications. Unlicensed ride-hailing operations will face severe penalties.
Uber’s 2021 acquisition of HKTaxi focused on consolidating the metered-taxi booking layer; however, Hong Kong’s taxi-hailing market remains distinct from its private-vehicle ride-hailing sector, both legally and culturally. With this deal, Uber continues a pattern of locking in market position around regulatory turning points.
<|im_end|>