LettersWhat hope for Hong Kong red taxis in a time warp?
- Competition from other providers could help spur Hong Kong’s taxi service to improve
Earlier this month, I was compelled to get a taxi from the airport to my home in Sai Ying Pun at 3am, as there’s no MTR at that hour. I queued up at the designated platform and entered the 1970s-designed old Toyota Crown. Not that there is anything wrong with Toyota but the vehicle smelt, looked and behaved like a third-world vehicle.
The vehicle, it seemed, failed to get out of third gear, and the rear bearings were grinding all the way along the Highway. The journey cost the equivalent of a good US$45 and comfort was absolutely nil. The driver had little respect for speed limits and seemed to enjoy the loud noise from the faulty transmission.
How can the government justify a taxi system where drivers cannot afford the taxi licence and hence resort to driving old used and abused vehicles, with luggage hanging out the back in the rain on a bungee cord, a panel covered in mobiles and a driver answering three phones at once while at the wheel?
Our buses, minibuses and other public transport systems have all improved, yet, in my 40 years in Hong Kong, the taxi system and drivers have remained in a time warp. I now avoid red taxis as much as possible.