Two Uber drivers fined in HK

Two drivers for the mobile car-hire service Uber have each been fined 7,000 HK dollars (898.6 U.S. dollars) after pleading guilty to accepting passengers without a proper permit and valid third-party insurance, local media reported on Friday.

Aaron Lam and Walter Kwan also had their licences suspended for a year by the Kowloon City Magistracy. They are among seven Uber drivers charged with the same offences.

Lam's lawyer asked for a lenient sentence for his client, saying he was his family's sole breadwinner, and had no criminal record.

Kwan, who was not represented by a lawyer, said he felt misled by the company, which he said had insisted that all of its drivers are covered under a global insurance policy.

But Kwan conceded that, because he had never seen any documents to prove this, he decided to accept his responsibility and plead guilty.

In sentencing, the magistrate said the defendants had joined "a very organized company", and he passed the sentence after considering all factors.

The cases for five others were adjourned until Feb. 24 at the request of their lawyer, for time to study prosecution documents. They did not enter pleas and had their 1,000 HK dollars cash bail extended.

The drivers' arrest last August raised eyebrows among the public, with critics querying why the government had invited Uber to do business in Hong Kong, but then cracked down on them afterwards.