Police broke in to the Hong Kong headquarters of global taxi-hailing service Uber Inc. on Tuesday and took five drivers into custody for the alleged "illegal use of vehicles for hire," police said.
Bruce Hung, a Hong Kong police senior inspector, said that they plotted the capture of these abusive drivers. According to Hung, undercover police agents pretended to be prospective passengers and used a mobile app to call over the five cars. They arrested the drivers right after they had reached their destinations.
"Upon arriving at the destination, the officers paid with credit cards and then revealed their identities, arresting drivers aged between 28 and 65," the statement said with no confirmation that these were indeed Uber drivers.
These drivers did not have the mandatory car rental permits or any third-party insurance, Hung said.
A Cable Television news footage showed cops ambushing and raiding an office, which had Uber's logo, and three people being taken away. Five vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz and BMW sedans, can also be seen in the video.
Hong Kong Commercial Radio also reported that the drivers had been offering their services through the Uber mobile app.
"Uber ensures that all rides are covered by insurance, and all drivers on the platform undergo an extensive background check," Harold Li, the company's spokesman, said in statement to AFP. However, he had not yet confirmed if the arrested were Uber drivers.
It has been only a year since Uber commenced operations in Hong Kong, and the company has encountered drawbacks around the world as it continues to expand globally.
One incident occurred in Brazil where an Uber driver was hailed in Sao Paulo, only to be beaten by a group of regular taxi drivers. In France, Uber suspended its UberPOP service last July, six months after it was banned in the country. In addition, black cab drivers based in London have been conducting a series of protests against Uber, stating that the firm is promoting unfair competition.
However, city officials in New York City dropped their plans on limitng the number of Uber vehicles last week.