Need for imported drivers exceeds quota

The government has been urged to give the unused imported labor quota to passenger vehicles as the sector is applying for 1,054 drivers from the mainland, exceeding the 800 quota limit.

Authorities announced in June they would import 1,700 drivers - 900 for minibuses and 800 for coaches and cross-border buses - to ease the manpower shortage.

The Transport and Logistics Bureau said this month that it saw 118 passenger service license holders applying for the first round of applications by the August 7 deadline to import 1,600 foreign drivers.

Among them, 547 were minibus drivers, while coach drivers, including cross-border bus drivers, had exceeded the 800 quota by 30 percent. It was also the only sector that exceeded the quota among four industry schemes.

The bureau said it will announce the approval results by late next month.

Eddie Choi Shun-kei, chairman of the Non-Franchised Public Bus Association of Hong Kong, as well as vice general manager of cross-border bus operator Eternal East Tours, told media that his company had applied for 100 places.

He said the cross-border bus trade was facing an acute manpower crunch as many drivers left the industry during the Covid pandemic when cross-border travel was halted. Many had reached the mainland's age limit of 60.

"A driver aged 60 will be downgraded and can no longer drive cross-border buses in the mainland, but there is no such retirement age requirement for minibus and coach drivers," Choi said.

He added authorities had told the sector that they would equally distribute quotas among employers when applications exceeded the 800 quotas.

But Choi hoped authorities could take one step further and utilize unused minibus driver quotas to import passenger drivers.

Meanwhile, Chan Siu-wah, chairman of the Motor Transport Workers General Union, said employers were setting harsh requirements to create difficulty in local recruitment in order to employ foreign cross-border coach drivers.

"Previously, drivers only needed to work for nine hours, but now the job postings online are requiring drivers to work for 10 hours, and the salary remains the same. This is no different from a pay cut," he said.

He worried local drivers would be gradually replaced by mainland workers who accept lower pay.

Chan said his union met transport authorities last week and hoped the government could cap the import quotas, but he described the meeting atmosphere as unsatisfactory.

But Choi said he had never seen the job postings mentioned by Chan, adding it could be the practice of individual companies. He believed the government already had measures to guarantee local labor employment.

The drivers must have held a recognized private car license for at least 12 months and then pass a test before being allowed on Hong Kong roads.

Employers can hire one non-local worker for every two full-time Hongkongers, and wages for non-locals must not be lower than the median wage of local counterparts, which is about HK$14,300.

Applications to hire drivers involve at least two-week local recruitment conducted within four months of the application.

Cross-border bus drivers will go back to the mainland after work, but employers of minibus drivers must provide them with flats in Hong Kong.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com