​Following is a question by the Hon Frankie Yick and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (October 22):

Question:

     Some members of the transport industry anticipate that the problem of shortage of taxi drivers will aggravate as elderly taxi drivers retire and some drivers switch to driving ride-hailing vehicles following the legislation regulating ride-hailing vehicles comes into effect. Moreover, it has been reported that five taxi fleets are struggling to achieve scaled operation due to difficulties in recruiting drivers. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as it is learnt that there are about 210 000 holders of valid taxi driving licences in Hong Kong, but only 20 per cent of them are active taxi drivers, whether the Government has investigated the reasons why holders of taxi driving licences do not join the taxi industry, and whether it has estimated the number of taxi drivers in shortfall in the market;

(2) of the specific measures in place to assist taxi fleets in recruiting drivers, so that they can achieve the target of having 3 500 taxis in service four months after obtaining their licenses (i.e. by the end of November this year); and

(3) whether it will consider introducing measures after the upcoming enhancement of the Taxi Written Test in November this year, to allow imported drivers to drive taxis in Hong Kong after meeting certain qualifications and examination requirements, and implement this on a trial basis in taxi fleets with a view to helping the trade achieve its targeted fleet size as early as possible; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and the other measures in place to increase the supply of taxi drivers?

Reply:

President,

     The Government has all along been keeping in view the manpower situation of the taxi industry, and has introduced various measures to enhance the service quality of taxis and support the trade in improving the operating environment, with a view to promoting the healthy development of the industry in the long run and attracting more new blood to join the taxi industry.

     Regarding the Hon Frankie Yick's questions, my reply is as follows:

(1) In light of the continuously ageing population, all trades are compelled to cope with manpower-related challenges. In terms of the taxi industry, the Government has been taking a multi-pronged approach to expand the overall driver supply, including the enhancement of Taxi Written Test in 2020 by updating the test content and adjusting the number of questions, with a view to focusing more on the assessment of core knowledge regarding taxi services. Upon implementation of the measure, the number of candidates sitting the Test has increased significantly by 40 per cent in the past five years to around 14 000 candidates in 2024. To keep up with the times and better align the Taxi Written Test with the operational needs of the trade, the Transport Department (TD) will start from the next month, (i.e. November 2025) further enhance the Test by substantially reducing and simplifying the questions on locations and routes, and adding new questions related to enhancement of taxi service quality, with the aim of maintaining assessment standards while attracting more aspiring individuals to join the taxi industry.

     Apart from enhancing the Taxi Written Test, the Government has also relaxed the eligibility requirements for taxi driving licences in 2020. The period required for an applicant to hold a private car or light goods vehicle full driving licence has been shortened from a minimum of three years to at least one year. Besides, the Government has implemented a number of measures in recent years to enhance the service quality and overall image of the taxi industry, thereby bringing a positive impact on attracting new blood to join the industry. Such measures include introducing taxi fleets with systematic management, organising the Taxi Service Commendation Scheme, increasing the maximum passenger seating capacity of taxis, introducing a Taxi-Driver-Offence Points system, and relaxing no-stopping restrictions for taxis at designated restricted zones.

     In addition, the Employees Retraining Board also offers taxi-driver-related training courses to assist participants to join the taxi driver industry. Eligible persons may even receive tuition reductions.

     All these measures help attract more young new blood to apply for taxi driving licence. As of August this year, there were approximately 18 200 taxi driving licence holders aged 40 or below, representing an increase of over 50 per cent compared to 2019 (with around 11 800 taxi driving licence holders aged 40 or below).

     The current number of active taxi drivers is about 46 000. Whether a taxi driving licence holder opt to become an active taxi driver depends on multiple factors and could not be generalised. These factors include individual career preferences, the overall economic situation as well as the operating environment, income and costs (e.g. taxi rental levels) of the industry. The Government will continue to implement various measures to promote the healthy development of the taxi industry, so as to attract new blood to join the industry and expand the overall driver supply. 

(2) As for the taxi fleets, the Government has been actively co-ordinating and providing support to the fleets as needed, including facilitating each fleet to co-operate with third-party platform to provide centralised taxi-hailing service, facilitating vehicle examination arrangements for fleet taxis, co-ordinating fleet operators' applications for Dedicated 100% Loan Guarantee Scheme for Battery Electric Taxis, and promoting fleet services to citizens and tourists. In addition, to facilitate fleet taxis' picking up of passengers with pre-booked service, the TD has set up about 80 designated fleet taxi stopping places across 13 locations, such as the airport, certain boundary control points and the Express Rail Link Station. 

     With regard to driver recruitment, the Government has been arranging for fleet operators to participate in district and thematic job fairs organised by the Labour Department, enabling fleet operators to explain to job seekers the management, training and support provided to drivers, so as to attract existing drivers and new blood to join. In addition, the fleets have also put in place different measures to recruit taxi drivers, including placing advertisements on radio and social media platforms, offering new driver referral bonus and safe driving bonus, as well as flexible working hour arrangements. 

     We understand that the job fairs and various measures have attracted enquiries from job seekers outside the taxi industry, and have successfully recruited more than 100 newcomers to switch careers and join the fleets. The Government will continue to support the fleets in recruiting drivers, and urge the fleet operators to proactively enhance their services and expedite the recruitment of drivers and taxi owners, with a view to driving the fleets towards their committed scale and providing passengers with quality taxi services.

(3) With regard to the suggestion on labour importation, considering that taxi is a type of personalised point-to-point transport service, drivers should be familiar with the local road network and transport system, and should be able to select the most direct and practical routes to destinations having regard to real-time traffic conditions. Drivers also need to maintain communication with passengers, and adjust routes and drop-off points in accordance with their requests. In this connection, the nature of taxi services is different from that of public light buses or non-franchised buses which have fixed stopping points and routes. At present, the Government has no plan to import labour for the taxi industry. 

     As mentioned earlier, we will continue to closely monitor the latest manpower situation in the taxi industry, implement various measures to attract new blood to join the industry, and maintain communication with the trade, with a view to ensuring the stability of taxi services and the healthy development of the industry in the long run. 

     Thank you, President.

Ends/Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Issued at HKT 14:50

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