Editorial | Hong Kong must not allow ‘bad apple’ cabbies to crash its reputation

Scarce good news during the Covid years included fewer complaints against cab drivers. The bad news now, with things back to normal, is that complaints have surged again in three out of four categories – refusing passengers, overcharging and unnecessary detours. They have not just exceeded the pre-Covid numbers for all of 2019, they have done so within the first eight months of this year.

Police recorded 2,701 complaints to the end of August – including disagreements about drop-off points – compared with 2,298 in 2019. According to Superintendent Nip Hoi-kwan of the traffic branch, “a few bad apples in the taxi industry have … damaged Hong Kong’s image as an international city”.

There can be no argument about the damage caused to the city’s reputation, which is so important to economic recovery from the pandemic, but it is harder to accept that problems are confined to a “few bad apples”. After all, the complaints in question are just those lodged with the force. How many people go to the trouble of registering their dissatisfaction with the police? How many just turn to ride-hailing services such as Uber for a better service? It is hard not to conclude that this is a systemic problem.

Releasing the latest figures, police revealed an undercover operation had snared several cabbies, including one caught charging HK$800, four times the usual fare, for a trip from Tsim Sha Tsui to Disneyland. Police are to be commended for mounting undercover operations, but the force stopped short of saying how many complaints had resulted in follow-up action or prosecutions. That is regrettable if it indicates a lack of enforcement, or consequences for drivers, because it explains why they break the law. Under the current system, ride-hailing apps are considered a legal grey area. The companies continue to operate in Hong Kong, despite being considered illegal without a hire-car permit.

Common complaints against cabbies go back many years and have led to a ridiculous situation, in which they have created a market for an illegal alternative. It is not as if reputational damage to the city can be lightly dismissed. Thanks to social media, negative “news” about Hong Kong – as opposed to positive stories promoted by the government – can reach millions, especially on the mainland.