Penalise Cabbies Who Misuse Cameras: Taxi Council

The chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi Council has urged the government to bring in rules to regulate the use of cameras inside taxis and penalise drivers who misuse the gadgets.

Hung Wing-tat said that if a video leaked this week showing two celebrities kissing and cuddling happened in a taxi, it was definitely not recorded by a dashcam that had received approval from the Transport Department.

A 16-minute video believed to have been filmed by an onboard camera showing singer Andy Hui, 51, and TVB actress Jacqueline Wong, 30, getting intimate inside a car had gone viral on social media. Hui, who is married to singer Sammi Cheng, held a tearful press conference on Tuesday to apologise for his behaviour.

Hung said fewer than 100 taxis have installed cameras approved by the Transport Department. These are located at the rear end of the vehicle and can only record the back of passengers.

Hung said the Transport Department is aiming to launch guidelines later this year on taxi cameras but he believes the government should also introduce penalties for any misuse.

He told RTHK's Janice Wong many drivers want cameras inside their cabs to clear their names if they are involved in any disputes that stem from poor passenger behaviour.