Hong Kong recorded 229 taxi drivers incurring penalty points under its taxi-driver offence system by October 2, with refusal of hire accounting for more than half of the cases. The figures have renewed attention on taxi service standards as lawmakers press the government to address difficulties finding cabs in parts of the New Territories.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan disclosed the figures in a written reply to lawmaker Chris Ip on Wednesday, October 14. The system, introduced in September 2024, aims to improve taxi services and penalise drivers who commit specified offences.
Of the 229 cases recorded, 125 involved refusal of hire. Three drivers had accumulated at least 15 points and were disqualified from driving taxis for three months, Chan said.
The figures offer an early measure of how the penalty system is being applied, although they do not establish how frequently taxi drivers refuse passengers across the entire industry. The government also received close to 6,000 complaints related to taxi drivers between September 2024 and August 2026, including more than 600 complaints involving refusal of hire.
The complaint figures cover a broader period and a different measure from the number of drivers who incurred penalty points. They nevertheless show that taxi services continue to generate complaints, including concerns about whether passengers can secure a ride when they need one.
Refusal of hire remains the leading offence
Refusing to take passengers accounted for 125 of the 229 taxi-driver cases under the points system, making it the most frequently recorded offence in the figures released by the government.
The penalty system covers 11 types of offences, including refusal of hire and overcharging. It was introduced in September 2024 as part of efforts to raise service standards and address misconduct within the taxi trade.
Under the rules, a driver who accumulates 15 or more points within two years faces disqualification from driving a taxi. The initial disqualification lasts three months, while a subsequent disqualification carries a six-month ban.
Drivers who accumulate 10 points or more must attend a service improvement course. Those who fail to attend face, upon conviction, a fine of HK$5,000 and a possible one-month jail term.
The system therefore combines penalties for repeated offences with a requirement for drivers with substantial point totals to undertake additional training. Its effectiveness will depend in part on enforcement, compliance and whether the measures improve passengers' experiences.
The latest figures do not provide a breakdown of all 11 offence categories or explain how many complaints resulted in formal penalties. They also do not establish whether the number of refusals has risen or fallen since the system began.
Nearly 6,000 complaints received in two years
Chan said the Transport Department received close to 6,000 complaints concerning taxi drivers between September 2024 and August 2026. More than 600 of those complaints involved refusal of hire.
Complaints and penalty-point cases measure different aspects of taxi service problems. A complaint may prompt an investigation, but the figures supplied in the written reply do not show how many complaints led to findings of misconduct or points being imposed.
The distinction matters when assessing the overall performance of the taxi trade. Complaint totals can indicate the types of problems passengers report, while enforcement figures show how many drivers have incurred penalties under the formal system.
Refusal of hire can be particularly frustrating for passengers who need to reach work, connect with another form of transport or travel during busy periods. In areas where taxi availability is limited, finding another vehicle may take additional time.
Ip raised concerns about New Territories residents who find it difficult to hire taxis during peak hours. He proposed establishing dedicated taxi stands at selected transport interchanges for passengers travelling towards urban areas.
The proposal would give passengers a designated place to wait for taxis serving particular routes. However, Chan said that stands organised around specific destinations might not meet the needs of passengers seeking point-to-point journeys and could confuse visitors unfamiliar with the arrangements.
“We consider that maintaining the current simple and clear arrangement is more appropriate and preferable,” Chan said.
The government has therefore declined to support destination-specific taxi stands as the preferred solution, arguing that the existing arrangement is easier to understand and better suited to different passenger journeys.
Lawmaker calls for wider green taxi operating areas
The debate also turned to the restrictions governing New Territories taxis, commonly known as green taxis. Unlike red urban taxis, green taxis are limited to designated areas in the north-eastern and north-western New Territories and charge lower fares than urban taxis.
Ip argued that the existing boundaries can make some journeys within the same district difficult to arrange. He cited trips between Ma On Shan and Sha Tin, and between Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O, as examples of journeys residents cannot make in a green taxi under the current operating restrictions.
His proposal was to expand the designated operating areas for green taxis to better reflect residents' travel needs.
The issue concerns more than the distance between two locations. Operating boundaries determine which taxi services passengers can use, potentially limiting their options even when their journeys remain within the same administrative district.
For residents travelling during busy periods, a wider choice of eligible taxis could offer another option when vehicles are difficult to find. Any expansion, however, would require the government to consider how changes would affect existing operators, fares and the supply of vehicles across different areas.
Chan said the government maintained a positive stance towards changes that reflect shifting transport needs in the New Territories. Officials would continue discussions with stakeholders and review the existing arrangements, she said.
She added that any changes would need to account for differences in fares and vehicle supply between urban and New Territories taxis.
The response leaves open the possibility of reviewing the current system but does not commit the government to a particular expansion or timetable.
Government rejects proposal to merge taxi categories
Lawmaker Lothair Lam, who represents the transport sector, raised a separate question about whether urban and New Territories taxis should be merged as development advances in the northern part of Hong Kong.
He referred to major development plans, including the Northern Metropolis, and argued that the distinction between urban and New Territories areas would become less pronounced as the region developed.
Chan rejected the proposal, pointing to the size of the New Territories and the presence of remote areas as reasons for retaining designated taxi services.
The government’s position reflects a concern that a single operating arrangement may not adequately address differences in geography and transport demand across the territory. Remote communities may have different service requirements from densely populated urban districts, while fare levels and vehicle availability also vary.
A merger would therefore involve more than changing the names or categories of taxis. Authorities would need to consider where vehicles could operate, how fares would be set and whether the distribution of taxis would meet demand in both urban and outlying areas.
The exchange also exposed a broader question about how taxi regulations should respond to changing travel patterns. Development in the Northern Metropolis may alter where people live and work, but the government has not announced plans to abolish the distinction between red and green taxis.
Penalties and service changes remain under review
Hong Kong introduced the offence points system in September 2024 to raise service standards and address persistent misconduct within the taxi trade. The rules allow authorities to disqualify drivers who repeatedly breach the regulations, while service improvement courses provide an additional measure for those who accumulate at least 10 points.
The latest figures show that refusal of hire accounts for 125 of the 229 drivers who incurred points by October 2. Meanwhile, more than 600 refusal-of-hire complaints were recorded among nearly 6,000 taxi-related complaints received during the period from September 2024 to August 2026.
The figures do not, on their own, establish whether the penalty system has reduced misconduct. Assessing its impact would require comparable data over time, including offence rates, complaint outcomes and repeat violations.
For passengers, the debate also extends beyond punishment. Access to taxis during peak hours, the boundaries governing green taxi services and the convenience of existing taxi stands remain issues for lawmakers and transport officials.
The government has indicated that it will continue discussions on possible changes to New Territories taxi arrangements, while maintaining its opposition to merging the two taxi categories and its preference for the current approach to taxi stands.
Should Hong Kong expand green taxi operating areas to make journeys across the New Territories easier, or should it focus on stricter enforcement against refusal of hire?