Minibus driver killed in San Tin crash worked in HK about a year

A minibus driver who died after a traffic accident on San Tin Highway has been identified as an imported worker who had worked in Hong Kong for about a year.

The 49-year-old man was from mainland China and came to the city under a transport sector labor importation scheme. He worked as a minibus driver and lived in a workers’ dormitory in Tuen Mun.

Reporters visited the Route 44A terminus on Thursday (Apr 9), where drivers said they did not know him. The route operator said it was not familiar with his background and declined to comment.

The route had begun employing imported drivers earlier, and he was among those hired under the scheme.

Under the government’s transport labor importation program, two rounds of applications approved in September 2023 and July 2024 allocated 900 public light bus driver quotas and 800 coach driver quotas, accounting for about half of the sector’s vacancies.

The Transport Department requires imported drivers to complete driving tests and pre-employment training to familiarize themselves with local traffic rules and routes before taking up duty. Accommodation is arranged based on their service areas.

Read more: 2 crashes within an hour on San Tin Highway leave minibus driver dead, 17 hurt