Hong Kong police have vowed to crack down on “black sheep” in the taxi industry, as the total number of drivers arrested or issued with summons reached a five-year high last year.
Hong Kong police took a total of 174 enforcement actions against offences committed by taxi drivers in 2023, the highest number since 2019, when the total number of summons issued and arrests made stood at 169.
According to a government document submitted to the Legislative Council on Wednesday, the offences included overcharging, refusing or neglecting to accept a hire, and refusing or neglecting to drive a taxi to the place indicated by the hirer. Other offences related to taximeters and drivers who took a longer route than necessary.
In a written reply to questions raised by lawmaker Chan Pui-leung, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said the police conducted intelligence-led operations and took enforcement actions against illegal acts of taxi drivers by posing as passengers. The force had also stepped up publicity work, the minister said.
“The HKPF aims to combat the black sheep of the taxi industry and increase the deterrent effect through a series of enforcement actions,” Lam’s written response read.
Of the 22 offences relating to taxi drivers, the authorities secured a 100 per cent conviction rate between 2019 and 2023. But the figure did not cover cases involving improper driving behaviour such as careless driving and speeding.
Earlier this month, the Transport Department revealed that the number of traffic accidents involving taxis last year rose 26 per cent to 4,585 compared to the previous year.
Complaints
Complaints against taxi drivers surged in 2023. Compared with figures from 2019, before the city was hit by Covid-19, the number of complaints received by the Transport Department more than doubled from 703 in 2019 to 1,504 last year.
Similarly, police received a total of 9,584 complaints against taxi driver malpractices in 2023. The figure increased more than twofold from 4,167 in 2019.
Apart from misconduct, the complaints also covered improver driving behaviours, refusing to provide receipts and smoking in the vehicle with passengers on board, Lam said.
The minister added that people may have lodged their complaints to both the Transport Department and the police, thus the figures might overlap.
In April, the police rolled out a pilot scheme in nightlife area Lan Kwai Fong to support taxi passengers against overcharging. Lam on Wednesday hailed the scheme as having successfully enhanced communication between passengers and taxi drivers, saying more than 7,000 members of the public and tourists had been “assisted in taking taxis.”
“[The scheme] effectively strengthened the deterrent effect against unscrupulous taxi drivers,” the official said.
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