Uber has raised its prices by as much as 80 per cent in Hong Kong following “an evaluation of the marketplace”.

The revision, which is in place from today (21 August), sees the price of UberX’s minimum fare increase from HK$25 in Kowloon and the New Territories and HK$30 in Hong Kong Island to HK$40 across Hong Kong. Meanwhile, UberBlack minimum fare will raise from HK$50 to HK$60, and UberAssist will increase from HK$25/30 to HK$40.

On top of the minimum fare increase, a booking fee of HK$5 has been introduced for all Uber rides to cover administrative costs.

An Uber spokesman suggested the increase of fares would only result in higher overall price for passengers on shorter journeys.

He told Reuters that “riders travelling further, where the fee for the trip falls above the minimum fare, won’t see any change as a result of the fare increase”.

The fare increase comes as Uber continues to have legal issues in Hong Kong and across Asia as a whole. In May, police in Hong Kong arrested 21 drivers for illegal car-hiring and, in March, five drivers were found guilty of the same crime.