How Hong Kong taxis became red, green and blue
Unveiled in the 1970s, the colour code was introduced to counter the problem of illegal cabs and help passengers distinguish them from other cars
Red, green, blue ... Hong Kong’s taxis have not always been so regimented; the colours we have today were designed to solve problems that included a proliferation of pak pais (illegal taxis), trouble identifying cabs from other cars and their concentration in urban areas.
Early taxis were “green, yellow, black and red” and the tough time passengers had of finding legitimate rides led the Transport Department to suggest cabs “be painted with one common colour so they can be readily distinguished from other cars”, the South China Morning Post reported on December 11, 1969.
Today’s urban colour scheme was unveiled with the Post headline “New look for taxis”, on September 14, 1974. “Silver for the upper half and red for the lower half”; the department hoped to “eliminate pak pais from masquerading as taxis”.
Further proposals included distinct colours for Hong Kong and Kowloon taxis. Two years after the Cross-Harbour Tunnel opened, an October 11, 1974 article raised the issue of drivers “unfamiliar with the roads in Kowloon ... returning to the island without passengers”, but these proposals were ignored.
