The Commission of Audit (CA) has slammed the Transport Bureau (DSAT) for failing to inspect and supervise the operation of Radio Taxis.
According to a report from the CA, DSAT is accused of not following the rules regarding the concession contract and making unofficial amendments to these regulations without any legal basis.
The main issue concerns the number of vehicles that Radio Taxis must have available to provide service, which, according to the CA, has been below the minimum threshold without any consequences for the company.
For this reason, the CA concluded that the public interest was harmed and ordered DSAT to amend its procedures to comply with the rules.
According to a press statement from the CA, the failure to fulfill the minimum number of vehicles in operation was particularly serious during daytime peak traffic hours.
The same report also points out that the concessionaire failed to provide their service as regulated by not providing accurate information until passengers were picked up, and not giving guarantees of taxi allocation, even when notifying passengers of a successful booking.
The same committee stated that DSAT did not monitor the fulfillment of the concession contract, did not identify the shortcomings of the public tenders, and did not correct the issue in time.
The release of the CA report, which has already been submitted to the Chief Executive, has prompted a series of responses, namely from the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raymond Tam, who, in light of the report, ordered an internal investigation at DSAT, aiming to understand the reasons for the flaws pointed out by the CA.
According to a statement from the office of Tam, the Secretary has already instructed DSAT to conduct a comprehensive review of all current procedures, regulations, and regimes relating to supervising special taxi services.
He noted that all the remarks and recommendations in the CA report have been duly noted and will be followed rigorously and diligently.
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