LCQ1: Labour Importation Scheme for Transport Sector
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Question:
The Government launched two rounds of the Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector - Public Light Bus (PLB)/Coach Trade (the Scheme) in 2023 and last year respectively, to allow PLB and coach trades to suitably import drivers. However, there are views pointing out that imported drivers may affect road safety due to their differences in driving culture, habits, and language. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of workers to date who have come to Hong Kong through the second round of applications under the Scheme and those who have commenced their driving work after obtaining the relevant driving licence and completing the route training; whether it has compiled statistics on the driving test passing rate and retest rate of imported drivers under the Scheme, and the traffic accident rate after commencing their driving work, with a breakdown by the type of vehicle they operate (i.e. PLB, coach, and cross-boundary bus);
(2) how it will ensure that imported drivers under the Scheme are adequately trained to avoid a high proportion of imported drivers failing the driving tests and requiring retakes, as well as the occurrence of a high traffic accident rate; and
(3) given that some members of the cross-boundary bus industry have pointed out that there is still a shortage of drivers at present, whether consideration will be given to increasing the quotas or launching the third round of applications under the Scheme?
Reply:
President,
The Government has all along been concerned about the persistent shortage of drivers in the public light bus (PLB) and coach trades. In June 2023, the Government announced the Labour Importation Scheme for the Transport Sector – PLB/Coach Trade (the Scheme), which can reasonably address the manpower shortage problem in the relevant trades, while safeguarding the employment opportunities of the local workforce.
Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Lam So-wai is as follows:
(1) and (2) The total number of quotas for imported drivers under the Scheme is 1 700. All quotas have been allocated through two rounds of applications in September 2023 and July 2024 respectively. Among the 849 quotas approved in the second round of applications, as of the end of last month (i.e. June 2025), a total of 716 imported drivers, including 422 PLB drivers, 167 local coach drivers and 127 cross-boundary coach (CBC) drivers, have been arranged by their employers to complete the relevant training and assessment, including obtaining the relevant driving licenses, and have commenced services after completing the route training.
We attach great importance to the driving skills and performance of imported drivers. Upon approval of the quota for imported drivers, employers are required to arrange the drivers to come to Hong Kong in a timely manner to undergo training for the relevant driving tests. Under the existing mechanism, imported drivers are required to pass and comply with the same driving test arrangements and standards as those for local drivers to ensure road safety. As of the end of last month, the passing rates of local driving tests for imported PLB drivers, local coach drivers and CBC drivers have remained stable at 43 per cent, 43 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. In comparison, these figures are better than the passing rates of local drivers for PLB and public bus driving tests in 2024, which are 15 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. In addition, as of the end of last month, the percentages of imported PLB drivers, local coach drivers and CBC drivers who had to retake the driving test to pass are 63 per cent, 54 per cent and 42 per cent respectively.
After passing the driving tests, imported drivers are required by law to attend the PLB or public bus pre-service course. The courses aim to enhance the awareness of new drivers on driving safety and driving attitude, and equip them with basic knowledge of passenger service and skills in customer service, etc. Imported drivers must complete the pre-service course and pass the course examination. The Transport Department (TD) will then issue the full driving licence to the imported drivers. Before commencement of driving services, the employers will also arrange route training for the imported drivers, so to enable the drivers to familiarise themselves with the driving and passenger pick-up arrangement of the assigned route.
Since the introduction of the Scheme, the TD has been actively following up and co-ordinating with the operators, including enhancing the driving test arrangements and reminding them of the need to arrange adequate driving test training for the imported drivers. As the Scheme progresses, employers have gained a thorough understanding of the procedures and processes of importing drivers, as well as the arrangements of the driving tests. They are generally able to arrange for imported drivers to complete the test and training as early as practicable, so as to provide safe services to the public.
Same as local PLB/coach drivers, operators are required to closely monitor the daily performance of imported drivers. The TD will also monitor the services provided by the operators on a regular basis and conduct on-site inspections to understand the performance of drivers (including imported drivers) as necessary. According to our observation and feedback from employers, imported drivers are generally experienced drivers with adequate traffic knowledge. They are able to handle the road conditions in Hong Kong, delivering steady and high-quality services. At present, the TD requires the operators to submit investigation reports on accidents involving PLB and coach, and will take appropriate follow-up actions against the operators based on the investigation outcome. According to the number of traffic accidents reported by operators to the Police, during the 16-month period from January last year to end April this year, there were a total of 1 115 traffic accidents involving PLBs and 554 traffic accidents involving coaches. Among these, 111 involved imported PLB drivers and 18 involved imported coach drivers, which account for less than 10 per cent and about 3 per cent of the total traffic accidents respectively.
(3) Overall, the implementation of the Scheme has been generally smooth. The imported drivers can effectively alleviate the acute manpower shortage in the trades, enhance service standards and provide quality and stable services to the public. In our observation, some green minibus routes have shown a significant improvement in service frequencies and reduction in the number of complaints after introducing imported drivers.
With the aging of drivers in the PLB and coach trade, the quotas for imported labour under the Scheme can only meet about half of the manpower gap, and cannot fully resolve the long-term labour shortage problem faced by the trades. At the same time, with the recovery of the number of visitors and more frequent exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland, we notice that there is a growing demand from citizens and visitors for public transportation, particularly for local coach and CBC services, which poses challenges for the manpower situation of the trade. The Government will continue to closely monitor changes in the local labour market and the manpower situation, and will continue to review the implementation of the Scheme and assess the manpower needs of the trades. At the same time, we will maintain close communication with various stakeholders and enhance information dissemination through the stakeholder consultative group, and review the Scheme in good time.
Thank you, President.
Ends/Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:11
Issued at HKT 12:11
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