Three-fold increase in taxi drivers prosecuted for violating regulations

The government reports that the number of overcharging and refusing hire offenses committed by taxi drivers has doubled compared to previous years, along with the rates of convicted offenders having tripled.

This came after lawmaker Hon Chan Pui-leung submitted a written question to the Transport and Logistics Bureau, asking about the number of violations committed by taxi drivers amidst the ongoing controversy regarding the quality of Hong Kong's taxi services.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung responded that last year the police received a total of 2,469 complaints regarding overcharging and refusing hire, more than doubling the number from the previous year.

They also reported that the number of enforcement actions made by the police against overcharging last year was at 42, an increase from the previous year of more than 1.4-fold.

There were also enforcement actions taken against 85 cases of refusing hire and 13 cases of failing to take the most direct route.

The number of prosecutions for taxi driver-related crimes was at 57, an increase of more than three times, from 13 of the previous year.

Lam pointed out that the Police Force has been adopting various effective methods to crack down on the illegal activities of taxi drivers, including intelligence-led operations and conducting law enforcement operations by disguising themselves as passengers.

He added that they have also launched the "Lan Kwai Fong Taxi Ambassador Program" to distribute taxi information cards to passengers who board taxis.

The cards record the expected fare, relevant taxi license plate numbers, destinations and other information.

The transport chief said that the police expressed their hope that through a series of law enforcement operations, they can severely crack down on the bad apples in the taxi industry so as to have a deterrent effect.