Hong Kong puts taxi drivers on notice, but will frustrated cabbies simply quit?

A demerit point system aimed at ensuring Hong Kong’s taxi drivers act professionally takes effect on Sunday, but industry leaders warn that cabbies fear some passengers may file wrongful complaints and push their colleagues into the illegal ride-hailing trade rather than risk being targeted.

Under the system, taxi drivers will be given demerit points for 11 types of behaviour including overcharging and refusing fares. They could be disqualified from driving cabs if they accumulate too many points within a certain time frame.

Writing on his blog on Saturday, transport minister Lam Sai-hung called on drivers to continue to provide good service for passengers.

“I believe most of the cabbies provide customer-oriented services for their passengers,” he wrote. “I hope that after this demerit points system takes effect, it can effectively combat a few bad apples in the trade, while also encouraging law-abiding drivers to continue to provide quality taxi services.”

The Transport Department received 1,006 serious complaints over taxi drivers last year, almost double the 574 in 2022 and much higher than the 464 in 2021. Just over one-third of the complaints received by the department related to taxis refusing to accept passengers, with another third centred on overcharging and the rest covering failure to take the fastest or easiest routes.