Editorial | Taxi demerit points the right way to go
- Hong Kong cabbies need to up their game in the wake of passenger complaints about their behaviour and vehicles, and proposed suspensions and bigger fines are a good start
Taxis continue to lose market share to ride-hailing services such as Uber. Hong Kong is no exception. The industry has been shrinking. Drivers are ageing. Passengers complain about their behaviour and their vehicles. Safety is an issue. If owners and drivers want to turn the industry’s fortunes around, they could take their cue from the government’s proposed shake-up. A positive response to a demerit points system covering common customer complaints about drivers and cabs would be a good start.
Eleven kinds of behaviour are covered in a proposal to go before lawmakers. They can attract three, five or 10 demerit points. Drivers who accumulate 15 or more in two years face three months’ suspension the first time, and six months in subsequent cases. More common offences include overcharging (10 demerits), refusing a hire (10), and not taking the most direct practicable route (five). It remains to be seen how the system will be applied and enforced effectively.
It is also proposed that taxi owners should be allowed to form urban fleets of 300 to 1,000 cabs – 100 to 350 in the New Territories – to provide enhanced services. The inclusion of luxury vehicles could be good for business, but the fare structure needs addressing. The industry and union representatives have generally welcomed the demerit points proposal, except for the severity of penalties. “Bad behaviour such as overcharging should be regulated,” said Chow Kwok-keung, chairman of the Taxi and Public Light Bus Association.
The government also proposed tougher penalties for drivers who provide illegal ride-hailing services by doubling the maximum fine for first-time offenders to HK$10,000 and raising it to HK$25,000 for subsequent convictions. The vehicle licence will also be suspended for six months on the first conviction, and 12 months for additional infractions. Chow asked the government to help fight such unlicensed services. “They are the reason the taxi industry is ageing,” he said. That may be so; however, the reality is the government has already taken the fight to ride-hailing services under the law without suppressing public support and demand for them. It is time for the industry itself to take up the fight by lifting its game. The demerit points plan is a step in the right direction.
