As in other cities around the world, Hong Kong taxis have a rather bad reputation. While the fare is still relatively reasonable, users find them discourteous, with no command of English - the last straw in a city that was a British colony for 150 years - and selective. There have been countless complaints about taxis choosing their customers.
What's more, most taxis only seat four. Out of a total of more than 21,000 taxis in the metropolitan area, only 3,000 offer five seats.. All of these factors are likely to encourage the...
As in other cities around the world, Hong Kong taxis have a rather bad reputation. While the fare is still relatively reasonable, users find them discourteous, with no command of English - the last straw in a city that was a British colony for 150 years - and selective. There have been countless complaints about taxis choosing their customers.
What's more, most taxis only seat four. Out of a total of more than 21,000 taxis in the metropolitan area, only 3,000 offer five seats.. All these factors are likely to favour the great rival of Hong Kong taxis, Uber.
The car-sharing services application is present for six years in the Chinese metropolis. And it's illegal because the drivers don't have the car hire licence required to carry passengers. But it does offer larger taxis, even if they are more expensive. This is enough of an argument for many Hong Kongers, who prefer to travel in one Uber vehicle rather than two taxis.
Last year, the government wanted to introduce franchised taxi companiesmore comfortable but more expensive. Three companies were selected. But faced with the difficulties encountered by the corporation since the pandemic, the idea was abandoned last October.
Entrepreneur Chau Kwok-keung, at the head of a group, Jumbo Taxirecently announced that it was asking the government for permission to introduce larger taxis. The company would like to bring 600 mini-van taxis onto the market. with six to seven seats. If the government gives the go-ahead, these new full-size vehicles would enter service at the end of the year. However, there are a few restrictions: they would only be available to order. And they would cost between 50% and 75% more than normal taxis..
There is one last sensitive point. According to Quentin Cheng Hin-kei, spokesman for a public transport research group, the introduction of taxi services offering the public more choice is indeed a step in the right direction. All that remains now is to educate the drivers. " The biggest obstacle is their rude attitude towards customers" he told the South China Monring Post in an interview.
