Hong Kong test for minibus drivers from mainland China tricky because of different road rules, lack of local knowledge: trade chiefs
- About 50 minibus drivers have arrived as part of a scheme to ease labour shortages, but only two of the six who took driving test passed, Transport Department says
- Level of local transport knowledge among mainland drivers a factor in pass rate, operators’ association chief says
A lack of local knowledge and different rules could have made it harder for some mainland Chinese minibus drivers to pass the road test in Hong Kong, industry representatives said on Friday, warning operators’ costs to keep them in the city might rise as a result.
According to the Transport Department, about 50 minibus drivers have arrived in Hong Kong from the mainland as part of a scheme to ease labour shortages, but only two of the six who took the road test to get a licence had passed.
“Cars in Hong Kong and on the mainland are steered on different sides, which means that we drive differently, even turns are different,” So Sai-hung, chairman of the GMB Maxicab Operators General Association, said on Friday.
He said that with passenger safety a priority, the new drivers would first have to go through relevant training before they could start working locally, stressing they were held to the same standards as those in Hong Kong.
So said that, from an employer’s perspective, drivers should pass the test on their first or second attempt. If drivers required three or four attempts, it might indicate issues with their skills, he noted.
He said employers would have to arrange accommodation for drivers when they arrived in Hong Kong for training and pay for the tests, but added that there might be room for negotiation with them on splitting costs if too many attempts were required.
Each minibus driving test could cost an employer several thousand Hong Kong dollars.