3 Hong Kong taxi drivers banned for 3 months under demerit points system

Three Hong Kong taxi drivers have been banned from operating cabs for three months after gathering 15 or more demerit points, according to the transport chief. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan revealed this detail for the first time, stating that as of October 2, 229 taxi drivers had accumulated demerit points since the system launched in September 2024.

The three offenders received the disqualification after amassing 15 points or more within a two-year period. Under the system, drivers accrue three, five, or 10 demerit points for 11 types of misconduct, and can face a three-month suspension if they reach 15 points. Repeat offenders face a six-month suspension. The maximum penalty of 10 points applies to overcharging passengers, refusal or neglect to accept a hire, refusal or neglect to drive to a specified location, and damaging or altering the meter.

Drivers who reach 10 demerit points must complete an improvement course. Chan acknowledged receiving 5,944 complaints about taxi drivers in August, including 605 cases of refusal to accept a hire, 860 related to overcharging, and 874 involving taking indirect routes. She pledged to review green taxis' service arrangements, such as adding more taxi ranks in the Northern Metropolis megaproject and at port areas, due to concerns about New Territories residents finding green taxis during peak hours and repeated refusals when switching to urban, or red, taxis.

Hong Kong has a total of 18,163 taxis, with 2,838 being green New Territories vehicles. The government will also conduct timely reviews on the permitted operating areas of New Territories taxis, such as expanding the operating areas of green taxis to cover the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Hong Kong Port and the Hong Kong Port Area of the recently built Huanggang Port.