Some Hong Kong taxi drivers unprepared as new e-payments rule takes effect

Lawmaker Mark Chong tells the SCMP that he expects a mixed response from drivers during the initial phase of the new regulation.

Photo: Eugene Lee Some Hong Kong taxi drivers have yet to install e-payment options even after the city’s new mandatory electronic payment for taxis went into effect, highlighting a digital divide challenge facing cabbies, the South China Morning Post has observed.

Starting on 1 April, the Transport Department mandated all drivers to offer passengers at least two electronic payment options, encompassing one QR code option and one alternative electronic method.

The government initiative aimed to elevate the overall quality of taxi services by leveraging technology to cater to different passenger needs, a department spokesman said.

At Times Square on Wednesday morning, elderly driver surnamed Fong had not provided e-payment options.

When asked if he had alternative payment options, Fong only offered to receive Chinese yuan. “Not yet, we have not installed those,” he said and apologised.

In contrast, former Citybus driver Cheung Lik-chuen, 71, successfully processed an Octopus card transaction via a mobile phone application in two minutes and possessed multiple payment methods except for a credit card terminal. “You want them to do so many things, how can they accept it when they don’t even know how to use navigation,” Cheung said, referring to older drivers struggling to adapt to the new digital systems.

The 20-minute ride-along at 9.45pm from Times Square to the Legislative Council Complex was metered HK$73.10 (US$9.30) after the SCMP’s conversation with the driver.

Cheung said the HK$5,000 maximum fine for drivers not following the rule was “over-the-top and out-of-touch”. “Actually, HK$500 already has a deterrent effect, which makes everyone hurt,” Cheung said, adding that authorities should warn drivers for the first month or two before prosecuting them.

Before the mandate took effect, Cheung processed about four to five electronic payment transactions daily out of more than 20 total trips.

This volume accounted for about one-quarter of the daily business, giving the driver a competitive advantage over peers who only accepted cash, Cheung added. “Actually, I have had them while many others did not, and some people asked if there is Alipay or WeChat Pay, which I have but they do not, so they ended up coming over to take my cab,” Cheung said.

Lawmaker Mark Chong Ho-fung told the SCMP that he expected a mixed response f

原文链接: 南华早报