Hong Kong police arrest taxi driver for allegedly charging HK$100 for HK$27 trip during undercover operation
- Police officer posing as customer hailed the taxi displaying an out-of-service sign, according to source familiar with the case
- Man arrested during two-day crackdown, just a month after city’s legislature passed bill on demerit points system for cabbies
Hong Kong police have arrested a 41-year-old taxi driver for allegedly charging almost four times the correct metered fare during a crackdown on illegal cabby activity.
The force on Sunday said the operation was held over the past two days in the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife district. Officers issued 43 fixed penalty notices, 13 defective vehicle notices and towed away four taxis suspected of illegal modifications.
Police launched the two-day crackdown just a month after the city’s legislature passed a bill introducing a demerit points system designed to stamp out bad behaviour among cabbies after a surge in complaints last year.
A source familiar with the arrest case said a police officer posed as a customer on Saturday and hailed a taxi displaying an out-of-service sign.
The driver requested HK$100 (US$13) for the ride when the fare should have been HK$27.
The 41-year-old driver was arrested on arrival at the destination for overcharging, failure to display a taximeter indicator and not having an identity plate on show, the insider added.
The driver has been released on bail for further investigation and will need to report back to police later next month.
Hong Kong passes demerit points bill to stamp out bad behaviour by cabbies
The force said they had set up roadblocks to stop suspicious vehicles, as well as other traffic control and digital video enforcement operations in the area, for the operation.
“Police will continue to enforce the law resolutely and crack down on illegal taxi activities to protect the rights and interests of residents and tourists and maintain Hong Kong’s international image,” the force warned.
The city has seen a surge in complaints against taxi drivers in recent years.
2 Hong Kong taxi drivers arrested for alleged overcharging in Tsim Sha Tsui
Police said they had recorded 2,701 complaints of alleged malpractice involving taxi drivers in the first eight months of 2023, higher than the pre-pandemic total of 2,298 cases recorded for the whole of 2019.
Among the complaints received between January and August last year, 1,073 involved cabbies refusing to take passengers. Another 756 cases concerned unnecessary detours and 745 were for overcharging.
The demerit points system bill is expected to be introduced by the third quarter of this year.
Taxi drivers will be given demerit points for 11 types of behaviour if the legislation is approved and face disqualification from the trade if they amass too many.
