I refer to the letter headlined, 'Reckless' (Sunday Morning Post, November 12) and share your reader's concern about the safety of taxi passengers.
At present it is required by law that a taxi driver has to ensure passenger safety while he is driving, and the requirement has clearly been spelt out in A Guide to Taxi Services in Hong Kong, published by the Transport Department. Copies of the guide were distributed to taxi drivers through taxi associations, and the booklet is still available at this department's licensing offices.
To enhance road safety, from July 1, the use of hand-held mobile phones or similar telecommunications equipment by drivers while vehicles are in motion, became unlawful. However, to allow time for professional drivers to modify the radiophones, the use of hand-held radiophones by drivers while vehicles are in motion will only be prohibited from July 1, 2001.
To remind taxi drivers of the new requirements, leaflets were sent to them through taxi associations in June.
The same message was also repeated in the taxi newsletter published and distributed to taxi drivers free of charge by the department in September.
We also asked taxi trade representatives at taxi conferences to remind taxi drivers of the need to ensure passenger safety and to comply with the new law.
