Cabbie charges undercover officer double

An off-duty policeman moonlighting as a taxi driver while on sick leave allegedly made a big mistake when he charged a passenger more than double the regular fare to the airport.

The passenger was an undercover officer and not only was the senior constable arrested for overcharging, he is also on the carpet for working part-time without permission. The constable was among two suspects arrested in an operation against dishonest taxi drivers on Wednesday night.

A police source said the senior constable was on sick leave when he was caught red-handed for overcharging the undercover agent by charging HK$450 for a trip from Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, to the airport - a journey that would usually cost less than HK$200.

"He was arrested by his colleague when the taxi arrived at the airport and he had collected the fare from the undercover agent," an officer said.

The hapless driver picked up the undercover officer just a block from the Tsim Sha Tsui police station where he works.

As well as overcharging, he was arrested for not displaying his driver identity plate on the dashboard and for failing to charge a passenger in accordance with the taxi meter.

The driver was granted police bail and must report back to police in the middle of next month.