Plan for premium taxis in Hong Kong ditched after lawmakers decide they don’t have the time
- Members of committee scrutinising bill votes to end work after agreeing they could not finish before legislative term ends in September
- Law would have allowed introduction of premier service allowing operators to charge more
The government expressed “deep regret” over the committee’s decision and said it would weigh public views when deciding whether to reintroduce the plan to the legislature.
At Monday’s meeting, most members of the committee on the franchised taxi services bill agreed it would be impractical to expect them to finish studying the bill before the current legislative term ends next month, and voted 7-1 to dissolve their committee.
Committee chairman Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, of the Liberal Party, defended its slow progress. “Some of the scheduled meetings since the Lunar New Year had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 epidemic.”
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Learn these Cantonese phrases on your next Hong Kong taxi ride to avoid being ripped off
It was only the second time since the 1997 handover that a Legislative Council bills committee ran out of time. On the previous occasion in 2000, the committee on a town planning bill was dismissed because it was unable to complete its work within the 1998-2000 term, despite meeting nine times.
Another committee has also considered stopping scrutiny on a bill banning the sale of electronic cigarettes. It is next expected to meet on Tuesday to decide its way forward.