Rear-seat passengers in some taxis will have to wear seat belts from Monday in a move operators say could lead to clashes with drivers.
Operators called for a three-month grace period before the start of prosecutions and for warning signs to be issued to cabs so passengers could become familiarised with the new regulations.
Taxis registered on or after Monday will have to have seat belts fitted in the rear. Passengers will have to wear them if they are available.
Failure to comply could mean a fine of up to $5,000 and a three-month jail-term for passengers. The move was endorsed by legislators in June.
The Taxi Operators' Association, whose members cover about half of the 15,000 urban taxis, said the new rules could place drivers in a difficult situation.
'It is a trade practice that taxi drivers never turn their heads around or glance at their passengers once they have got into the taxis. It is deemed impolite to do so,' association chairman David Leung Shiu-cheong said.