Editorial | Ageing Hong Kong taxi industry in need of younger blood for the sake of safety
Latest figures reveal a sharp increase in accidents involving Hong Kong cabbies over the past two years
Hong Kong taxi drivers are facing many new requirements, from improving their customer service, to adopting technology and competing with ride-hailing companies. But the ultimate demand made of cabbies is one that has been there all along: keep your passengers and other road users safe. Drivers must be sufficiently fit and healthy, whatever their age.
The latest figures released on accidents involving elderly taxi drivers are a concern. There has been a sharp increase over the past two years. Those aged 70 or above featured in 651 accidents last year, up more than 43 per cent compared to 2022. Cabbies in their sixties were involved in 2,021 incidents, a 40 per cent increase over the same period. Taken together, this works out at an average of more than seven a day. It is an unacceptable level.
The issue was raised in 2023, following a spate of accidents involving elderly drivers. The government promised action. An expert panel had already reviewed the existing requirements for health checks and suggested stepping them up. A consultation was planned. But no change has been made. Meanwhile, the number of accidents has increased.
Drivers who are 70 or over are required to provide a doctor’s note certifying their fitness to drive when renewing their licence. This happens every year or every three years, depending on their licence. It is clearly not sufficient. The earlier proposal was to lower the age for checks to 65 and make them all annual. That would be a step forward.
But the safeguards are more stringent elsewhere in the world. In Britain, professional drivers are required to have medical tests every five years from the age of 45 as well as every year once they reach 65.
It is especially important, in Hong Kong, to ensure that older drivers are fit to be on the roads. This is because almost two-thirds of the city’s cabbies are more than 60 years old. Age is not, in itself, a barrier to being a safe and responsible driver. But staying fit can become more difficult as drivers get older. The need for cabbies to have good eyesight and hearing, sharp reactions and high concentration levels is clear.