Pair of Hong Kong taxi drivers jailed for up to 2 months for overcharging undercover police
- Two drivers pleaded guilty to charging excessive fees, as well as failing to display taxi licence and use meter after being caught by undercover officers
- Police warn drivers they are ramping up enforcement over Labour Day ‘golden week’ holiday
Police said on Thursday a 54-year-old taxi driver surnamed Kong and a 73-year-old surnamed Yip had been sentenced to one and two months in prison, respectively, at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court last week.
The pair were arrested in separate operations by undercover officers in Tsim Sha Tsui in January.
An officer posing as a customer took Yip’s taxi from Tsim Sha Tsui to a nearby hotel. The ride was supposed to cost just HK$40 (US$5) dollars, but Yip charged HK$200.
Similarly, Kong asked an undercover officer to pay HK$500 for a ride from Tsim Sha Tsui to a theme park in North Lantau – an apparent reference to Hong Kong Disneyland – that would normally cost about HK$200.
Both drivers pleaded guilty to charging excessive fares, as well as failing to use a meter and display a taxi licence.
Yip was fined HK$2,500 and had his licence suspended for 20 months. Kong was hit with a HK$500 fine and a four-month licence suspension.
Separately, police arrested a taxi driver on Wednesday for allegedly overcharging as part of a citywide crackdown coinciding with the golden week holiday, which runs from May 1 to 5 in mainland China.
A police source said officers posing as tourists arrested the 37-year-old driver after he tried charging HK$350 for a ride from a theme park on Lantau Island to a hotel in Tsuen Wan. The source did not say how much the driver was supposed to charge, but a Post check of two Taxi apps found the trip would cost about HK$150.
Hong Kong to target illegal ride-hailing services, rogue cabbies over holiday
The driver also allegedly failed to activate the meter and display his licence.
Police arrested the man and impounded his vehicle upon arriving at the destination.
The force in April announced it would carry out operations “Kickstarter” and “Cellbreaker” from April 24 to May 8 to target illegal activities involving public service vehicles such as taxis.
Since the beginning of the crackdown, the force had also issued 20 fixed penalty notices and six summonses for other traffic offences involving public service vehicles.
Police warned that taxi drivers convicted of overcharging were liable to a maximum penalty of HK$10,000 and six months’ jail, vowing officers would continue to take action to stamp out the illegal practice.
