Why Hong Kong has a complicated relationship with taxi drivers

Louis Ho, a business owner, recalls how many Hong Kong taxi drivers refused to take him and his family, who used a chair, to a clinic for regular exams.

” I did n’t even need the driver to carry my mum or the wheelchair. I did whatever myself”, says the 64-year-old whose mother passed away in 2018.

One of Hong Kongers with a story to share about the notorious motorists of their city is him. Ask them what they dislike most about Hong Kong, and vehicle drivers are likely to be at the top of the list.

The most frequent complaints are that individuals are harsh, refuse to give rides, and frequently travel longer distances, making customers have to pay more.

The Hong Kong Taxi Council is then attempting to change this perception. They will delivery” kindness ambassadors” armed with “best-practice” papers to car stands.

Does that really support? Depending on the person you ask, yes.

There are about 46, 000 cabs in the city, according to council chairman Ryan Wong, who warns against using a second campaign to educate harsh or wayward drivers immediately.

But he is enthusiastic:” This is not the first moment that we have done this, and the comments from drivers has been good”.

Hong Kongers are more sceptical. An interview clip of a taxi driver saying that passengers, rather than drivers, are the ones to be educated has gone viral in the city – many point to it as evidence that nothing will change.

Many of them are also still smarting from previous experience.

After a particularly annoying face, Amy Ho, a woman in her 30s, said she stopped using cars a few years back.

” I did n’t realise I had asked for a very short journey. As soon as I reached the destination, I scrambled for funds to pay”, she says.

” It was only five hours or so, and the drivers said,’ Can you halt dragging on, aunt? You ca n’t even afford a ride for such a short distance, I find it hard to believe! ‘”.

IT worker Kenny Tong currently simply travels by taxi three times per month, avoiding the hardship where possible. To thunder one, he says, he frequently has to “bow, wait for the driver to reduce the vehicle screen” and check if his place is on the pilot’s course for the day.

” Some vehicle owners grumble throughout the trip after I have boarded”, he adds.

Even though they have “multiple devices on the screen,” he finds it annoying when individuals ask him how to get to the place without using GPS.

Most disgruntled customers do not report issues because it’s time-consuming. However, there there were about 11, 500 issues last yr- a 11 % increase from 2019, according to the Transport Advisory Committee. Only a small portion were prosecuted.

Then there’s the issue of unscrupulous individuals, who are particularly vulnerable among tourists.

In early July, a visitor from the China’s eastern province of Zhejiang took to social media to complain that she was only given HK$ 44 ($ 5.6, £4.5 ) in change after giving a cabbie HK$ 1, 000 for a HK$ 56 ride. She reported the incident to the police, but could n’t get her money back because of insufficient evidence.

But bad behaviour is just a sign of the deeper issues that afflicted the state’s vehicle business, which is struggling with large costs, increased competition and bureaucracy.

There are about 18, 000 car licenses in the area, and this number has been mostly capped since 1994, aside from 2016 when only 25 licenses were issued. Some license holders invest in them and rent them to individuals.

Leung Tat Chong, who has been a taxi driver for more than 20 years, claims that the cost of a 12-hour daylight change, which does not include fuel, has increased. On a normal day, a motorist can make HK$ 500 to Japan$ 800.

He claims that we can just conduct business during rush time, and that we can wait up to 25 hours without even passing through. Some drivers are insufficiently calm and unwilling to make improvements to their services because they are unable to make a living.

This is not an reason for bad behaviour, he adds, but the “reality” of the market.

Uber, which has become incredibly popular since its passage into the Hong Kong industry in 2014, faces fierce competition from cars. According to the business, 7.5 million people in the city have used it at least once.

Taxi drivers are not required to have specific licenses to operate, according to the taxi industry, which has demanded that the city take action to stop the platform, which is still considered to be illegal in the city.

Some taxi drivers also launched a thug sting operation to catch Uber drivers in late May, which received pushback from the public, who several claim prefer the ride-hailing app because of their problems with cab drivers.

” We underestimated the effect of ride-hailing apps”, says Chau Kwok-keung, the president of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association. ” Patients are willing to spend more for a better driving experience.”

Mr. Chau is against Uber, but he concedes that because individuals can choose the people and the charges are set before the trip, there are fewer issues there. He also acknowledges that online payment and net hailing systems have taken a long time to adapt to the sector. The majority of car owners simply accept cash.

Additionally, the car industry struggles to find new customers. Nearly 60 vehicles are on average. According to Mr. Chau, the lack of leads is a significant factor because the car suffer has only been raised once in the last ten years. In 2023, the average salary of an industrial taxi drivers was about HK$ 22, 000, about 10 % higher than the state’s median money. Hong Kong ranks 45th in terms of car survive in the world, according to living-cost online databases Numbeo. Given that Hong Kong is a costly town, Mr. Chau claims that it is very small.

According to Mr. Leung, who believes that the state may impose stricter standards and offer more training to cab drivers in order to improve the reputation of the profession,” Some believe that only poor people become cabbies, and it’s the only last resort when one encounters financial difficulties.”

But major changes are eager for the state’s car industry.

A demerit-point method does take effect in September, and misbehaviour could lead to a passport suspension after a court judgment.

Authorities did issue five new licenses, and the system for a vehicle fleet will be implemented. It will help accommodating sales, but in return, these fleets, which include 3, 500 taxis, have to provide online ordering, private rating systems and electronic payment.

Drivers and passengers claim they are awaiting the outcome of these reforms for the time being.

” If we provide good service, the industry will grow and there will be more passengers”, says Mr Leung.