Cabbies pushed to come of age in tech and fleets

The taxi industry will be invited to apply for fleet licenses from next month that will require devices such as dash cams and surveillance cameras to be installed in a step up in technology that will ensure safety, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said.

Under the new regime, taxi owners may group taxis they are currently operating and apply to the Transport Department for a license.

"The Transport Department will regulate the operation and management of the taxi fleets through license conditions, and specify the devices to be installed on the fleet of taxis, including dash cameras, closed circuit television systems and other technological devices to improve driving safety and service standards of fleet taxis," Lam said in the Legislative Council yesterday.

He said the department would invite the trade to apply for the licenses from next month onwards so that fleet taxis may commence operation as soon as possible.

The introduction of the taxi fleet regime will also foster healthy competition in the trade and gradually change its ecology through market evolution.

Lam also said the government has been encouraging the trade to make good use of technology to improve taxi driving safety.

"The government launched the HK$1 billion Smart Traffic Fund to provide funding support to local organizations or enterprises for conducting research and applications of vehicle-related innovation and technology," he said.

The fund has approved three projects relating to taxi driving safety, including a trial of installing driving safety monitoring systems in cabs to issue alerts to remind the drivers when necessary.

Legco members questioned Lam over whether the government would amend laws to make the installment of dashcams and surveillance cameras mandatory, as Lam has said the government had already started a study on the proposal and would embark on a public consultation this year.

Michael Luk Chung-hung of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions said the mainland and Macau require all taxis to install centralized cloud-based video recording systems, which is worth referencing in Hong Kong.

He also pointed out that the government might have hoped to raise the level of the sector through such an organized fleet system but that so far the industry's response had not been positive.

"If the cab fleet is not effective, will the authorities consider accelerating the requirement for taxis to install recorders through legislation?" Luk asked.

In response, Lam said places and countries such as Macau, Shenzhen, Australia all have mandatory requirements on installing recorders but that Singapore and other places do not.

The government, he said, will carry out a comprehensive study on the matter.

"Authorities need to examine various factors, including whether the practice can protect taxi drivers and passengers' privacy and prevent abuse of recordings."