Fines, license suspensions and undercover agents proposed to improve taxi service

Kuok Keng Man

A commitment to heavier fines that can result in temporary or permanent taxi license suspensions was one of the main outcomes from the third meeting of the Traffic Advisory Board (CCT), held yesterday morning at the Transport Bureau (DSAT) headquarters.
The Specialized Group for Public Transportation and Community Relations met to discuss a DSAT proposal on the changes to the Legal Regime of Taxi Passenger Transport. At the end of the meeting, the president of the group, Kuok Keng Man, told journalists that the group had concluded that “adjustments would be necessary to the issuing of licenses, and that there is a need to regulate the behavior of drivers and to pass accountability to the taxi owners.”
There was also consensus reached on the use of undercover agents and the possibility of adding a conversation-recording option that could be solicited by both passengers and drivers, Kuok informed, saying that these “agents” will fit the role of investigating the taxi drivers.
Kuok added, “Although sanctions and fines are being proposed, the goal is not to punish but to perfect the service and improve the whole environment that surrounds the taxi service.”
Another of the changes made to the new law centers on the concerns and responsibilities of taxi owners, which were until now left aside. From now on, taxi owners will have to share responsibility for the taxis they own and consequently for their drivers’ behavior.
The draft proposes that after eight instances of misconduct, a driver’s license would be suspended for a week, with the penalties getting heavier if the same driver were to continue performing illegalities.
As explained by Kuok, these transgressions will be counted in quantitative terms, with each infraction equaling one count of misconduct, regardless of the form of the misconduct. Types of misconduct include the failure to comply with charging fees, traffic rules and regulations.
In the case of taxi agencies and companies, if the company reaches a minimum number of taxis suspended due to misconduct, the entire fleet of that company will face suspension.
“If, for example, a company owns 100 taxis and 30 of them have been fined and given a penalty involving a suspension of the license, the entire company will be suspended for a period of time,” Kuok said.
The license suspension period would extend from seven days to up to three months at a time and may, in the case of continued illegalities, end in the cancelation of a license and the driver concerned being banned.
The president of the Specialized Group for Public Transportation and Community Relations said that he hopes that “in April this proposal can be delivered to the government to start its discussion and bring it to the consideration of the Legislative Assembly for the subsequent steps.”
On a separate topic, and at journalists’ requests, Kuok commented on the “on call” radio taxi licensing. He said that, from the two proposals currently being analyzed, “the choice between the companies is not only focused on money as a priority for that choice but will also take into account the whole operation of the company and what advantages it will or will not bring to the community.” He then added that “the government has a council that will be the judge of those proposals.”