又中又英｜The Uber service

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This is an American slang expression which means it is unnecessary or unwise to repair or change something that is not broken. Hong Kong’s Uber service is working perfectly. Opinion polls confirm it is far more popular than taxis. The taxi industry is broken and needs fixing. Opinion polls confirm this. Passengers say they don't mind paying more for Uber because taxi drivers are rude, often refuse to accept short trips, overcharge tourists, and purposely choose longer routes to cheat passengers. The government spent many months preparing a document for Legco on how to regulate services such as Uber.

But the document it gave Legco last week said the government would delay a decision until an undetermined time next year on how to license online services. The government did not say if it would increase the current limit of 1500 licences for ride-hailing vehicles. This unfairly puts Uber drivers in limbo for a long time. To be in limbo means to be in a situation where you do not know what will happen next. The government is also proposing rules to suspend for a year the driving licences of Uber drivers or even impound their cars if they don’t have a licence for ride-hailing services.

This shows the government is in bed with the taxi industry. To be in bed with used this way means to be closely associated with a person or organization in a way that makes others distrust you. Tougher rules against the 10000 freelance Uber drivers could make them jobless and benefit taxi drivers. Can the government hear the voice of the majority who prefer Uber?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 这是一句美式俚语习语，意思是若某样物件没有破损，根本不需要去修理它或改变它，这样做亦是不智的。香港的Uber服务本身运行得很好，民意调查亦证实，它远比的士受欢迎。的士业界却是问题多多，需要修理。民意调查亦证实这一点。乘客们说他们不会介意付多一点钱用Uber，因为的士司机多是粗鲁无礼、常常拒载短程、向游客滥收车资，还故意兜远路去欺骗乘客。政府花了许多个月为立法会准备文件，以规管如Uber的网约车服务。

然而，上星期政府给予立法会的文件，则是说它会延迟决定如何向网约车服务发牌，直至明年某个尚未确定的日子。政府也没有说它会否增加现行1500个出租私家车牌照。这是很不公平地将Uber司机长时间置于不确定的状态（in limbo）。To be in limbo是指你在一种不知何去何从的处境中，不知道接下来会发生什么事。政府亦将要提议修例，如果Uber司机没有出租私家车牌照，可以取消其驾驶执照一年，甚至扣押涉事车辆。

这就反映出，政府跟的士业界是站在一起的（in bed with）。To be in bed with在这里是指跟某人或某一机构紧密相连，以致其他人都不信任你。向一万个自由作业的Uber司机实施更严厉的措施，会令他们失业，令的士司机得益。政府可以倾听社会主流想要Uber的声音吗？

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻