HK's taxi fleets must commence full operations by July, transport minister urges

Hong Kong’s five licensed taxi fleets must begin full operations by July while the government will monitor operator’s trial run performances, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said.

Chan said on Wednesday that all taxi fleet services must prioritize public interest and the government is allowing fleets to conduct trial runs to gather passenger feedback and improve services before the official launch. 

Chan also said fleets will devise their strategies to cater to target customer groups and attract drivers to join.

She added that the Transport Department had carefully reviewed operators’ proposals when awarding licenses, allowing for flexibility to recruit drivers, including arrangements that may not necessarily fall under employer-employee relationships.

The department will monitor performance and require operators to meet licensing requirements before granting full approval.

Separately, Chan said the department is reviewing tolls for government tunnels and major roads, with findings expected this year. 

The review considers four principles: traffic management needs, user-pays approach, public transport priority and efficiency, while also weighing public affordability and social conditions, Chan told lawmakers in a written reply.

Noting some tunnels operate at a deficit, Chan cited Aberdeen Tunnel’s HK$16 million and Shing Mun Tunnels’ HK$52 million shortfalls in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Both tunnels haven't adjusted their HK$5 tolls in 34 years.

Chan said the department will continue monitoring traffic patterns to evaluate different tolling approaches' effectiveness.

Meanwhile, CLPe, a subsidiary of power giant CLP, revealed that it is in discussions with the five taxi fleets to provide tailored charging services for their electric taxis.

Partnered with Link Asset Management, the company aims to commence over 250 EV chargers across Hong Kong, with the majority of them in Link’s car parks this year.

CLPe has also launched a mobile app that allows customers to search for the nearest CLPe charging station based on their location, monitor charging status in real-time, check charging records, and pay charging fees. 

The company has commissioned over 100 fast/super-fast EV charging bays in Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O, Tsing Yi, and Sha Tin, plus medium-speed options for overnight charging.

It plans to expand to over 250 bays in Chai Wan, Sham Shui Po, Yuen Long and Tung Chung within the year.

(Ayra Wang)