A total of 66 Hong Kong taxi drivers have incurred points under a new penalty system enacted last September to combat offences such as refusing hire and overcharging passengers.
The offences committed included overcharging, refusing to accept a hire, and not driving the most direct route, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Wednesday in a written response to lawmaker Vincent Cheng’s question about improving the city’s taxi services.
Amid years-long complaints about the city’s cab drivers, the Taxi-Driver-Offence Points (TDOP) system came into effect in September last year. It covers 11 offences, with drivers incurring three, five or 10 penalty points for each offence depending on severity.
For example, a taxi driver can receive 10 demerit points if found guilty by a court of refusing to drive to a passenger’s destination, while five points are for detouring or soliciting passengers. If a driver accumulates 15 points within two years, they can be disqualified from driving a taxi for three months.
Chan said that among the 66 drivers penalised under the system, 49 incurred 10 points, 12 received five points, and five received three points.
No drivers have incurred enough points to be disqualified, she added.
Last July, Hong Kong issued taxi fleet licenses to five companies tasked with providing “quality services” to passengers.
The fleets of 3,500 cabs – including around 1,500 vehicles that are brand new – began rolling out in stages this month, with all of them to commence service by late July. The taxis are equipped with multiple electronic payment methods and GPS, and some are wheelchair accessible.
Chan also said on Wednesday that the Transport Department had set up “taxi information boards” at major cab stands with information on fares. The government is also distributing leaflets to tourists at the airport and other popular tourist spots to inform visitors of taxi fare rates, she said.
Last December, the government proposed requiring all taxis to have surveillance cameras, GPS, dash cams and electronic payments installed.
The proposed legislative amendments will be debated by lawmakers in the Legislative Council in the second quarter of the year, Chan added.
