Fully operational taxi fleets expected by July

Ayra Wang

Hong Kong's five licensed taxi fleets must begin full operations by July while the government monitors operators' trial run performances, says Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan.

All taxi fleet services must prioritize public interest, Chan said yesterday, noting that the government is letting fleets conduct trial runs to gather passenger feedback and improve services before the official launch.

She added that the Transport Department had carefully reviewed operators' proposals when awarding licenses, allowing for flexibility to recruit drivers, including arrangements that may not necessarily fall under employer-employee relationships.

The department will monitor the fleets' performance and require operators to meet licensing requirements before granting full approval.

Separately, Chan said the department is reviewing tolls for government tunnels and major roads, with findings expected this year. Chan cited Aberdeen Tunnel's HK$16 million and the Shing Mun Tunnels' HK$52 million shortfalls in the 2023-24 fiscal year, noting that their HK$5 tolls have not been adjusted in 34 years.

Meanwhile, CLPe, a CLP subsidiary, revealed that it is in discussions with the five taxi fleets to provide charging services for their electric cabs. Partnered with Link Asset Management, the company aims to have over 250 EV chargers across Hong Kong, with the majority of them in Link's car parks this year.