Screen grab of police arresting taxi driver at East Dam, Sai Kung
On Sunday 3 October, the Kowloon East District Police launched an enforcement operation against overcharging of taxi fares and arrested a 50-year-old taxi driver at the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung on suspicion of “overcharging of fares”, “touting”, ” failure to display taxi driver’s licence” and two counts”Contravention of the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations”.
The case was brought up in Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning (6/11). He was sentenced to six days in jail, suspended for 18 months, licence suspended for three months and fined HK$3,300
The illegal taxi problem has been rampant in East Dam Sai Kung for many years. Every weekend due to lack of public transportation, taxi drivers would sit on the ground and raise their fares. In order to combat excessive taxi fare collection, the police have repeatedly carried out plain clothes operations to enforce the law.
Currently there is a video circulating online showing a confrontation at a taxi stand where a man, suspected of being an unlicensed taxi driver, attempts to film a woman dressed in hiking attire. During the confrontation, the woman reportedly displayed what seemed to be a warrant card suggesting she was a police officer, which led the man to withdraw his phone and question her reasons for recording. The specifics of the incident, including the date and time, remain unclear.
Some netizens felt helpless about the rampant taxi rip-offs in East Dam, saying it was caused by the sparse public transportation. Comments highlighted the frustrations of encountering unlicensed operators, with one user remarking on the thrill of witnessing a plain clothes policewoman take action against fare overcharging. Others lamented the persistent issue of illegal taxi operations, attributing the problem to inadequate public transport options in the area
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