Hong Kong proposes slapping taxi drivers with demerit points for overcharging, refusing hires and other bad behaviour

Eleven types of behaviour covered in bill will result in three, five or 10 demerit points, and 15 or more accumulated in two years will trigger suspension

Industry representatives welcome initiative, but say government should use opportunity to crack down on illegal ride-hailing services such as Uber

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While taxi industry representatives have welcomed the proposed demerit point system, they have stressed the trade has relatively few badly behaved drivers. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 9:00am, 7 Jul 2023Updated: 12:46pm, 7 Jul 2023

Representatives of Hong Kong’s taxi industry have backed a new bill introducing a demerit points scheme for drivers who behave poorly following a string of accidents.

But they stressed on Thursday the number of drivers who committed offences behind the wheel was a small fraction of the total and the bill, to be gazetted on Friday, should not cast a shadow over the industry.

The government should also make use of the opportunity to crack down on unlicensed car-hire services such as Uber.

In March, an 84-year-old taxi driver was arrested after his cab ploughed into people on King’s Road in North Point, injuring three pedestrians. Photo: Sam Tsang

“The introduction is appropriate. Bad behaviour such as overcharging should be regulated,” Chow Kwok-keung, the chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, said. “But I want to stress that such drivers only make up only a small fraction. Most of our drivers are well-behaved.

“I also want the government to assist us a bit by helping to fight unlicensed services. They are the reason why the taxi industry is ageing.”

The bill includes a scheme that will slap cabbies with three, five or 10 demerit points if they violate any of 11 offences. If the driver accumulates 15 or more points within two years, he or she will be disqualified from operating a taxi for three months. Subsequent qualifications will be subjected to six months’ suspension.

Offences such as overcharging, wilfully refusing or neglecting to accept a hire will result in 10 points, while five and three will be given for acts such as an using a route other than the most direct one and refusing to carry the number of passengers requested, provided the total is within the vehicle’s capacity.