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The taxi industry has warned that the queue number system at the revamped Huanggang Port could discourage drivers, calling on the government to review the arrangement as the port officially opened on Monday.
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Speaking on a radio program, vice president of the Association for Taxi Industry Development Ng Kam-wah pointed out that drivers who drop off passengers at the joint checkpoint building must still obtain a queue ticket if they continue to pick up new passengers at the site.
Previous trial runs demonstrated that the ticket-retrieval process takes about eight minutes per round trip, which Ng warned could dent drivers' willingness to pick up passengers at the site.
He expressed hope that a compromise could be reached and that the arrangement would be reviewed in the near future, while urging the department to share real-time data on the number of waiting passengers for the industry to gauge demand on the ground.
Despite the operational issue, Ng said he was notified by the Transport Department before 7am of a high demand for New Territories taxis at the joint checkpoint building.
When asked whether the availability of franchised buses, green minibusses, and cross-boundary coaches at Huanggang Port would weaken the demand for taxis, Ng argued that these transport modes cater to different passenger demographics.
He noted that taxis have been competing with the Lok Ma Chau–Huanggang Cross-boundary Shuttle Bus services and that the industry will closely monitor post-opening travel data to analyze the actual impact.
