A mid concerns from both the public and the taxi industry, the government is working on more taxi licenses, but hinted that heavier traffic may occur.
After a regular plenary of Transport Advisory Committee over the weekend, director for Transport Kelvin Lam told a press conference that the government is considering the possibility of issuing a new batch of taxi licenses by the end of the year.
“Any updates will be released once available,” the official said.
On whether additional taxi licenses will be issued, Lam said further evaluation on the need and availability of taxi drivers is required to determine that. Moreover, he said escalated traffic congestion will be inevitable with more taxis on the road.
After resumption of normal travel, members of the public have been calling for more taxis, as hailing a taxi on the street is on many occasions impossible, especially during peak hours or in traditional residential areas.
Meanwhile, the industry has also called for early action from the government because 300 taxi licenses are due to expire within this year. The radio taxi company of the city has also revealed that it has been at full capacity for most of the past half-year, hinting that it has no surplus to help with the shortage in the common taxi sector.
Currently, the city has 1,602 taxis, with 300 of them being “special taxis,” which are the radio taxis.
Public opinion has also criticized the services provided by the radio taxis, including but not limited to standing passengers with bookings. Lam admitted that radio taxis’ services have room for improvement, adding that one area of improvement is booking acceptance within an hour. He believes that once a booking is accepted, “there is no reason for it to get cancelled so easily.”
Lam also hinted that the government is considering enhancements for radio taxi services in a wider area, but said information will only be released when it “matures.” Comments and suggestions from the public are also welcomed, the transport director added.
