Plan to install surveillance cameras in all Hong Kong taxis is a gross invasion of privacy
Charles Mok says passengers are already frustrated with service standards in the competition-averse taxi trade, and constant surveillance would be too high a price to pay for flimsy promises of improvement
Cherry-picking passengers, poor navigation skills, wilfully taking longer routes and a rude manner are some of the frustrating experiences with taxis regularly experienced in Hong Kong.
The restricted number of taxi licences, at some 18,000, has fanned speculation and led to sky-high prices. There is little incentive for better service, and drivers are exploited by both licence owners and taxi companies.
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Another round of fare increases will merely maintain the status quo of license holders thwarting competition. This is why I moved a motion at the panel against the fare hike and called on the government to reform licensing arrangements to introduce healthy competition. Unfortunately, it was vetoed by pro-establishment members.
Drivers smash a taxi as they call on the government to ban car-rental and car-hailing services, outside Wan Chai Tower on July 24, 2015. Photo: Dickson Lee
Car-hailing and ride-sharing services can bring competition to the market but the government has slammed that door shut. The reluctance to review the hire car permit mechanism is, in a way, the protection of vested interests, and the announcement of a “premium taxi scheme” is merely a shoddy version of what people really want.
