Meet the invisible Hong Kong taxi drivers risking danger to help anti-government protesters escape police – for free
- Some ‘protest drivers’ say they help because they can’t be at the front lines themselves – others because they feel sympathy for demonstrators after seeing too much violence on nightly news
- ‘I was stunned by their resolve,’ one driver says, ‘I swore to them I would do whatever it takes to fight with them’
They are the invisible Hong Kong taxi drivers who have carried anti-government protesters away from police in the midst of countless confrontations over the past three months of political turmoil.
Some of these “protest drivers” said they started to help the protest movement because they could not be at the front lines themselves. Others said they felt sympathy with the protesters after watching too much violence on the nightly news.
Others still said they put themselves in danger to be like the Korean taxi driver Kim Sa-bok, an unsung hero in the democratisation of South Korea in the 1980s.
Kim risked his life to drive a German journalist around dangerous Gwangju city and helped expose a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activists. His story was portrayed in the award-winning Korean film A Taxi Driver .
“I couldn’t go to the front line to join the protests because I couldn’t stand the tear gas from the police,” Cheung said. “So I decided to use other means to help the movement.”
He said a conversation he had in July with four young protesters he drove from Causeway Bay to Kowloon Bay made him even more determined to help.
“One of them said he was prepared to face a riot charge if arrested by police. He mentioned it in a light and casual way: ‘If 10 years in jail is the worst that could happen to me, I can take it’,” Cheung said.
“I was stunned by their resolve. Those young protesters were all prepared to sacrifice the golden years of their lives for the movement. I swore to them I would do whatever it takes to fight for democracy with them.”
The demonstrators had blocked most access routes, forcing travellers to walk part of the way, crippling train and bus services and prompting a shutdown of the Tung Chung MTR line by trashing the station.
“At around 5pm, I heard that some protesters were trapped in Tung Chung who were trying to walk to the Lantau Link toll plaza to find their way out. I immediately drove to the plaza to pick up some protesters – though I felt very nervous for fear of being stopped by police,” he said.
“I was deeply moved by the scene – so many private car owners took a risk to rescue the protesters. It strengthened my conviction that I did the right thing,” he said.
What pushed 35-year-old taxi driver Andrew Chan to help the protesters was watching them risk their lives to challenge the authorities and police to fight for their freedom and democratic rights.
Like Cheung, he drove around protest zones to offer free rides. For a night of free rides, he said he lost about HK$1,000 (US$127), which after a few nights cost him about 20 per cent of his monthly income.
“In the past, I cared about making money. But for them, I don’t mind earning less. I hope to contribute more because I can’t be on the front line,” he said.
“She was about 16 or 17 without gear. I picked her up in Sheung Wan and she was very nervous. Once she got in my taxi, she immediately broke down in tears. I comforted her, but my heart sank heavily. What made a young girl like her so scared and sad? I knew then that I could not turn them away,” he said.
Jen Chan, 46, a taxi driver for seven years, said he would not deliberately look for protesters but would not hesitate to stop if he came across some of them in danger. He said he had such an encounter earlier this month.
“It was a Friday night when I drove along Argyle Street near Kowloon City, I saw three black-clad teenagers running in fear. I wanted to help so I stopped, inviting them to get in my taxi,” he said.
“They were all gasping heavily and horror-stricken, unable to say anything. So I told them I was going to drop them off at a McDonald’s in San Po Kong. They left without saying anything,” he said.
Chan, who said he has no interest in politics, told the Post he started to feel sympathy for the protesters after seeing television reports and online footage of police beating up subdued protesters, arresting young people and even assaulting a bed-bound old man in hospital.
He said the crackdown on the protesters had totally changed his perception about the police force. “When I was young I thought the police were good people who sought justice for citizens,” he said. “But now what they did to the protesters, especially the young ones, have totally tarnished the good image I had of them. Why nowadays even the innocent students face police inspections for wearing black or face masks?”
Chan continued: “So, whenever I come across protesters in need I am definitely on their side.”
Not all taxi drivers support the idea of free rides for protesters.
Wong Po-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi Owners’ Association, said he never heard of taxi drivers giving free rides to protesters.
“We are just taxi drivers making a living in Hong Kong. We can’t refuse fares, and we’ll take whoever hires our service. I did carry some passengers in black, but I didn’t know if they were protesters or not,” he said.
“It’s not our concern and we won’t participate in any political movement.”