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Hong Kong transport
Hong KongTransport

‘Old-fashioned’: Hong Kong taxi industry leader pushes for cabs to install e-payment system amid calls for digital shake-up, but faces roadblocks

  • Chau Kwok-keung, chairman of Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, says he will spend HK$1 million to offer free installation of e-payment system
  • But some operators resist, calling for payment charges to be passed on to passengers and saying elderly drivers prefer convenience of cash

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Each system costs about HK$2,700 and is embedded into the taxi’s meter. Photo: Edmond So
Cannix Yau
A Hong Kong taxi industry leader is pushing for cabs to install an all-in-one electronic payment system to break new ground in the cash-reliant trade, amid calls for transformation of the “old-fashioned” sector.

Chau Kwok-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, on Friday said he would spend more than HK$1 million (US$127,805) to offer free installation of the smart payment Taxi Pay system on a first come, first served basis.

“The cash-reliant taxi trade is very old-fashioned with everything lagging far behind the others,” he said.

Chau Kwok-keung, chairman of Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, says it is “inevitable” that the city will adopt digital payments. Photo: Edmond So
Chau Kwok-keung, chairman of Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, says it is “inevitable” that the city will adopt digital payments. Photo: Edmond So

“It is inevitable for Hong Kong, as an international city, to adopt e-payments. By introducing an all-in-one digital payment system in taxis, I hope to create a new chapter in the taxi industry for the use of e-payments.”

Chau, founder of Jumbo Taxi which manages a fleet of more than 600 cabs, is also lobbying the Hong Kong Airport Authority to designate a special lane for taxis with smart payment services.

“We plan to install the Taxi Pay system in at least 1,000 taxis by the end of this year to cater to the flood of visitors during the Christmas festive season. We hope to showcase to them that the city’s taxis do have an e-payment option,” he said.

Hong Kong’s taxi drivers are often accused of refusing to move with the times and embrace e-payments as an alternative to cash. Critics noted that the progress of installing the systems in the city’s 18,163 taxis had been slow over the years with cash still dominating.

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