Hong Kong taxi trade wants subsidised health checks amid calls for tougher rules
Public calls for annual checks after spate of crashes involving older drivers, but taxi trade warns that move could prompt more cabbies to quit
The Hong Kong government is facing mounting calls to put an end to delays in mandating stricter health checks for elderly cabbies, but the taxi industry has pushed back and demanded that drivers be fully subsidised for annual medical screenings.
The taxi trade, under fire after a number of crashes involving cabbies in their eighties in recent years, also warned on Thursday that authorities should be prepared for a manpower crunch as more drivers, turned off by increased regulations, might quit the industry.
Residents and lawmakers earlier raised concerns over the fitness of elderly drivers after a taxi driven by an 80-year-old cabby hit and killed a Filipino tourist on Tuesday.
The taxi had mounted the pavement outside the Nina Hotel in Tsuen Wan, striking the 35-year-old man head-on and leaving a hole in the venue’s facade. The victim was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced dead.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death. The Post earlier reported that the cabby said he had felt dizzy and lost control of the vehicle before the crash.
The incident sparked renewed calls for authorities to immediately impose stricter health checks for older drivers, with some suggesting compulsory annual screening starting when drivers turn 65.