Octopus use in cabs urged to end holdups
A taxi drivers' group has called for the use of Octopus cards to settle fares after two cabbies were robbed by teenagers in the space of a week.
This would relieve drivers of the need to carry too much cash, said Lai Ming-hung, chairman of the Taxi and Public Light Bus Concern Group.
'Potential robbers will find it less tempting to target taxi drivers if drivers don't have much cash with them. Even when taxi drivers are robbed, the loss can be minimised with the use of Octopus cards.'
Mr Lai also appealed to taxi drivers to install radio equipment so that they could communicate with the call centre.
'Drivers only have to press a button to talk to staff on duty at the call centre or so that staff at the call centre can hear a conversation inside a taxi. That will scare off some potential robbers,' Mr Lai said.
'Many drivers don't use the radio service anymore as they find it cheaper to use mobile phones.'
On Saturday, police arrested four boys who attempted to rob a taxi driver in Tuen Mun. They caught the cab in Tai Ho Road, Tsuen Wan, and asked to be taken to Butterfly Bay in Tuen Mun.
On arrival at about 6.30pm, one of the youths attacked the 53-year-old driver and another tried to grab his cash box. They fled empty-handed. Police later arrested the four youngsters in Castle Peak.
Last Monday, two girls aged 13 and 15 were arrested for mugging a taxi driver at knifepoint, robbing him of HK$660 and a mobile phone.
A third girl, 13, wanted in connection with the case surrendered to police the next day. The trio allegedly flagged down the taxi in Chai Wan shortly after midnight and told Lai Shu-keung, 50, to take them to Kwai Chung.
One of them sat next to the driver while the other two sat in the back. When the cab reached Hibiscus Park in Hing Shing Road, each of the girls took out a knife or cutter and threatened him.
