Hong Kong driving schools have been slammed by the consumer watchdog for opaque fees, with one charging nearly twice the quoted rate for extra lessons to meet the minimum training hours.
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The Consumer Council announced on Monday that all 32 basic courses offered by 11 driving schools in the city failed to meet the Transport Department’s requirement of 30 hours of practical training, forcing students to buy extra lessons and go over their original budget.
The council found that the package with the fewest practice hours offered only 10 hours of training, while the one with the most offered 27 hours and 45 minutes.
“If the practical training hours included in a package cannot give learners sufficient confidence for the road test, they often need to purchase additional lessons to gain more experience, which may lead to budget overruns,” the council said.
A survey of 324 respondents also found that more than 30 per cent had received over 30 hours of driving training before passing the road test.
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By simulating scenarios to calculate the actual cost of completing the recommended 30 hours of training, the council found that the total fees could vary by more than HK$10,000 (US$1,286.47) between schools.