Following is a question by the Hon Chan Siu-hung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (April 29):

Question:

     In the 2025 Policy Address, the Chief Executive proposed promoting autonomous vehicles (AVs) to accelerate the large-scale development of driverless autonomous driving in Hong Kong, expediting its transition to commercial operations, and facilitating the industry's expansion to overseas, particularly right-hand-drive markets, using Hong Kong as the platform. The Autonomous Vehicle Applications Promotion Group newly set up by the Government is dedicated to reviewing project progress, and establishing a long-term development roadmap for AVs to cover the implementation of commercial autonomous driving operation and cross-district operation, and promotion of cross-boundary operation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the strategies for achieving the above objectives and the latest implementation timetable;

(2) as the authorities stated at the meeting of the Panel on Transport on February 11, 2026, that regarding the promotion of AVs, the authorities would actively introduce more scenarios in the Northern Metropolis for trials and applications, whether further consideration will be given to setting an AV pilot zone in the Northern Metropolis, as well as providing the requisite vehicle-to-everything and infrastructural facilities for autonomous driving technology; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether it will draw on the experience of the Mainland and other places around the world and consider establishing an autonomous driving industry fund for strengthening research and development capabilities and innovation drive, so as to support the development of the autonomous driving industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4) given that in response to a question raised by a Member of this Council on May 14, 2025, the authorities stated that the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the relevant departments would collaborate with the Insurance Authority and the relevant sectors to make advance planning, and discuss the insurance arrangements for AVs with the sectors, whether the authorities will, by drawing reference from the experience of the Mainland and other places around the world, explore insurance arrangements for the future commercial operation of AVs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(5) whether it will further steer the industry to transform Hong Kong's testing data into products or standards that can be launched and "go global", thereby building Hong Kong into a hub for the "going global" of autonomous driving data, technology and standards, and actively align with international standards to enhance influence in the global market; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(6) whether it will formulate guidelines and specifications on data security and personal information security pertaining to autonomous driving technology, such as establishing a tiered data monitoring system, a sensitive data protection mechanism and a personal privacy protection mechanism; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Government has been promoting the development of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Hong Kong in an active and orderly manner through a multi-pronged approach by providing policy support, regulatory backing and financial subsidy. My reply to the questions raised by the Hon Chan Siu-hung is as follows:

(1) The new regulatory framework for AVs came into effect in March 2024. The Transport Department (TD) concurrently published the Code of Practice for Trial and Pilot Use of Autonomous Vehicles (the Code), setting out the detailed technical, safety and operational requirements to facilitate the trial and pilot use of AVs.

     To propel AV development to a higher level in accordance with the 2025 Policy Address and the Transport Strategy Blueprint, and to introduce and drive the industry to commence AV trial and use in various communities at full speed, with a view to moving towards large-scale deployment of driverless AVs for commercial operation, the Commissioner for Transport has established the Autonomous Vehicle Applications Promotion Working Group (the Working Group). The Working Group will advance related initiatives in collaboration with relevant departments and industry stakeholders, including reviewing the progress of individual AV projects and associated demand, and providing steer on the trial locations and vehicle types, as well as the licensing arrangements required to support the commercial development of AVs. It will also explore appropriate regulatory arrangements to allow AVs to provide a certain degree of commercial services in specific areas on an individual pilot basis, with a view to accelerating the smooth transition of autonomous driving technology from the research and testing phase to actual commercial operation, as well as allowing more members of the public to access and experience the service. The Working Group held its first meeting in March 2026 to discuss the progress of trial projects with AV pilot licences, explore ways to enhance the Code, and strengthen the collaboration with the industry and operators of the trial projects to promote autonomous driving in the community, including organising events such as AV rides for residents. The Working Group will continue to convene meetings to take forward the work.

     In respect of cross-district applications, we will continue to study, together with the industry, ways to progressively increase the number of trials and gradually expand cross-district trials, and expand the application network of AVs in an orderly manner, including district-wide trials. For instance, in February 2026, the AV trial in North Lantau was extended from the existing airport route in North Lantau to Tung Chung and Sunny Bay, while the AV trial in the vicinity of Kai Tak in East Kowloon spanned Kowloon City and Kwun Tong Districts. Moreover, the TD is expediting the commercial application of AVs with a view to achieving commercial operation of the AV project of the Airportcity Link connecting SKYCITY at Hong Kong International Airport and the Hong Kong Port Island of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) within 2026. We are also promoting cross-boundary AV projects, such as exploring the trial and application of cross-boundary autonomous shuttle service via the HZMB between Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macao starting this year. In addition, road tests are planned to commence for the cross-boundary autonomous bus project of Lok Ma Chau Loop funded by the Smart Traffic Fund (STF) within this year.

(2) The Northern Metropolis presents boundless opportunities for advancing AV development in Hong Kong. With its forward-looking planning, ample land resources, strong potential for cross-boundary collaboration, supportive policies, and growing societal demand, the Northern Metropolis is well-positioned to become one of Hong Kong's prime trial zones for advancing autonomous driving technology. Unlike the already built-up urban areas, this area possesses land that has yet to be fully developed, allowing the planning of smart transport infrastructure (such as high-speed mobile communication networks and sensors) from scratch, along with the construction of road environments that support AVs. The Government will actively promote the introduction of autonomous driving trials and applications under diversified scenarios in the Northern Metropolis, and will work with the industry to promote the development of AVs in the area.

(3) The Government has been providing financial support to promote the development of autonomous driving technology in Hong Kong. On the transport front, the TD has been pooling the efforts of the Government, industry, academic and research sectors through the STF to fund local autonomous driving research and applications, with a view to promoting the long-term development of autonomous driving and smart mobility in Hong Kong. As at the end of March 2026, the Management Committee of the STF had approved five on-site trial projects for autonomous driving, involving a total funding amount of about $96 million. These AV projects cover multiple road scenarios with the aim of steadily enhancing the capability of AVs to handle Hong Kong's complex road conditions. The Secretariat for the STF also continues to promote the funded projects through various channels to attract more high-quality and innovative projects. The TD will continue to maintain communication with the industry to review and optimise the STF in a timely manner, so as to align it with the development of the industry.

     In addition, to advance research and development (R&D) in innovative technologies, there are various funding schemes under the Innovation and Technology Fund (such as the Innovation and Technology Support Programme and the Enterprise Support Scheme) that support enterprises and R&D institutions in conducting R&D and applications in relevant technology fields, including autonomous driving, AI and big data analytics.

     We will continue to closely keep track of the experience gained in the development of autonomous driving in the Mainland and around the world, and will refine various support measures having regard to the actual needs of the local industry, in order to create a more favourable environment for the development of the autonomous driving industry.

(4) On the premise of safeguarding road users' safety, any person who uses a motor vehicle on a road is required to take out a third-party risk insurance policy under the Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third Party Risks) Ordinance (Cap. 272). This statutory requirement is also applicable to AVs. All AVs approved for trials have taken out third-party insurance with appropriate coverage in accordance with the statutory requirement.

     We understand that proper insurance arrangements are an important element in advancing the development of the industry. For this reason, the Working Group will adopt a data-drive approach to keep the insurance requirements for AVs at various stages of trials and application under review, and assist the relevant sectors in formulating insurance arrangements specifically for the application of more advanced levels of AVs.

(5) At present, upon receipt of an application for a pilot licence from an organisation or enterprise, the TD will consider various factors, including the operational design domain and functions of the autonomous system, relevant national or international standards/guidelines, and the road test situations, based on the Code before approval. In fact, the Government has already successfully attracted numerous enterprises to establish R&D centres to experiment with AVs and related technologies. Some technology enterprises have also successfully used the trial experience in Hong Kong as a starting point for their internationalisation strategy and have expanded into overseas markets such as the Middle East and Europe, demonstrating Hong Kong's vital role as the springboard for Mainland enterprises to "go global".

     The Government will continue to pay close attention to relevant developments and actively support the industry to expand into overseas markets, in particular right-hand-drive markets, by making use of the trial and application experience in Hong Kong.

(6) To ensure data security and protection of personal information, the Code clearly stipulates that the pilot proprietor should save and protect the data and records of the pilot scheme and the AVs. All relevant records/information should be kept until the end of a period of three years after the expiry of the existing pilot licence, in accordance with the Road Traffic (Autonomous Vehicles) Regulation (Cap. 374AA). Besides, the Code also requires the communication network for the AVs to comply with the Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106) to ensure that the AVs and any associated backend control systems have appropriate security measures to manage data security and the risks of unauthorised data access. The pilot proprietor should establish a cybersecurity management system with reference to national or international standards or provisions, as well as adopt data protection measures according to the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486).

Ends/Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:08

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