If you’ve ever lost an argument with a taxi driver you suspected overcharged you, then, like us, you’ll hail this story of justice.
A 61-year-old taxi driver last night found himself sitting in the passenger seat of a police van after the man he overcharged turned out to be an undercover officer on a mission.
According to Apple Daily, the officer — disguised as a passenger — took the taxi from the Peak cable car terminus at Garden Road in Central to the Peak Galleria at about 6pm yesterday, a journey that would take between 10-20 minutes.
After arriving at their destination, the driver charged the officer HK$100 for a journey that would typically cost about HK$70. The undercover officer then revealed himself and arrested the driver.
The newspaper reports that the vehicle was registered in the driver’s name and that this is his first offense. Apple Daily also reported that the driver lives in an 800-square foot apartment in Grandview Tower on Kennedy Road, which has a market value of about HK$16million (more than US$2 million).
The arrest comes as part of a crackdown on taxi drivers overcharging and refusing to take passengers, something we well know can frustrate the end of a good night out, particularly when those reliable train drivers have gone to bed.
According to the recent quarterly report from the Transport Complaints Unit, there were 2,710 complaints regarding taxi services filed in the second quarter of this year, up 12.4 percent from the previous quarter, and a 4.6 percent increase from the same quarter a year ago.
Of the complaints received, 615 were for taxi drivers refusing fares (see video below), 537 were for bad manners or behavior, and 478 were for overcharging.
According to the Road Traffic Ordinance, taxi drivers can be handed a HK$10,000 fine and up to six months in prison for such violations, though as anyone in Central on a Friday night after the trains have stopped running can tell you, rules are rarely enforced at that hour.
An increase in cab fares last year, along with the aforementioned complaints, has prompted people to switch to alternatives. However, the Transport and Housing Secretary warned car hailing services like Uber must operate like existing taxi companies in order to be legalized.
In May, 22 Uber drivers were arrested in a police sting on suspicion of driving without a car hire permit and third-party insurance. In August, Uber, which has faced it’s own major struggles in the region, raised the minimum fare for all rides in Hong Kong by 80 percent.
So for those of you planning to party past the trains stopping tonight, Godspeed.
Reader Interactions