Taxi Drivers Looking Forward To Charging More

The chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association says he expects the government to approve fare increases for the trade, now it has given the green light for franchised buses to put up their prices.

Chow Kwok-keung told an RTHK programme on Thursday that the administration has dragged its feet on the issue for far too long, as their fare increase applications were submitted around four years ago but were put on hold because of the social unrest in 2019 and the pandemic.

The trade wants to increase the flagfall rates by HK$6 for urban and New Territories taxis, and HK$7 for those on Lantau.

Chow said he believes such increases would still be affordable for passengers, even if the flagfall for urban taxis goes up to HK$30 as proposed.

He said people are sympathetic given the difficulties the trade is encountering.

"Most people understand our difficulties. We have presented the evidence ... the insurance premiums have gone up, taxi firms have charged more, people are sympathetic to us," he said.

Chow also called on the government to put in place policies to encourage more young people to join the trade, saying about five percent of drivers have quit recently because of the pandemic or to retire.