Taxi groups try to torpedo plan for luxury cabs in Hong Kong
- The government wants to bring in 600 pricier cars, with newer vehicles and better service
- But drivers of the existing fleet say it will not help the industry, which faces growing public discontent
An alliance of 42 taxi groups has banded together in a last-ditch effort to scupper a plan to put a fleet of 600 pricier, higher-quality cabs on Hong Kong’s streets, saying it would hurt the struggling industry.
Headed by the Hong Kong Taxi Council, it appealed to officials on Tuesday to upgrade cars from the existing pool of 18,163 cabs, instead of pushing for a franchised taxi scheme with a flag-fall fare 50 per cent higher than the normal rate.
The call came as the government’s franchised taxi services bill was due to be tabled at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, for first and second reading. Under the plan, three franchises would be granted, each permitting a fleet of 200 taxis which should meet set criteria including using newer vehicles, using online ride-hailing services, accepting electronic payments and giving drivers compulsory customer service and safety training.
The plan aims to offer passengers a premium service, and give them an alternative to the existing system, as customer discontent grows over driver behaviour. Complaints about overcharging, cherry-picking passengers and taking circuitous routes jumped 2.2 per cent to a record high of about 11,000 last year.
But council chairman Hung Wing-tat accused the government of trying to shirk its responsibility to enhance services offered by the existing fleet, saying the scheme would do nothing to solve the problems facing the industry.