Hong Kong taxi driver penalties get off to early start

A new penalty system targeting those who give the taxi industry a bad name is already showing results just a week into enforcement. According to the transport authorities, a cabby has been slapped with maximum demerit points after he was found to have overcharged, solicited business and not used the fare meter.

If unscrupulous taxi drivers feel the chill after the Taxi-Driver-Offence Points Ordinance came into force late last month, it is because their misbehaviour and malpractices are finally being seriously addressed.

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

Offences incurring the highest penalty score of 10 include overcharging, wilfully refusing or neglecting to accept a hire, refusing or neglecting to drive to a location indicated by the hirer and defacing, damaging or altering the meter.

Passengers will be pleased to learn that the government appears determined to crack down on such malpractices, as reflected in the swift action within the first week of enforcement. But the outcome also underlines the poor quality of service offered by some drivers.