Taxi organizations are calling for authorities to wield a heavier hand to stamp out illegal taxis and curb the number of incidents of passengers being cheated or robbed. A taxi trade working group organized by the Liberal Party met with the police at the Legislative Council on Tuesday. Delegates for the group called for the police to step up detection of unlicensed and illegal taxis.

"(The taxi associations) don't want to have this kind of image imposed on them because of all these crimes - unreasonable charges and rare cases which amount to robbery - were committed by a small group of illegal taxi drivers," transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick Chi-ming said.

Taxi Dealers & Owners Association Chairman Ng Kwan-sing said there were a number of taxis plying the city's roads, which were driven under stolen licenses or, in some cases, two taxis improperly operating under the same license and covering different regions.

He called for greater information sharing between the Transport Department and the police, to help identify lost and suspect licenses and improve detection and enforcement.

Ng also called on the public to help stamp out rotten apples by checking taxi drivers' license photos and matching them to drivers operating the taxis.

"If the taxi driver license is obscured, incomplete or a total mismatch, passengers should be on guard, take note and try to get a receipt which will include the cab's information. This will be helpful evidence if there is a chance to prosecute," Ng said.

Hong Kong Taxi Owners' Association Chairman Wong Po-keung said a string of incidents detailing how mainland tourists were subject to overcharging, deviation from normal routes and lost possessions held hostage was the work of a small group of illegal taxi drivers. He also called for more taxi stops in busy tourist and nightlife areas to alleviate aggressive touting by cabbies.

Lawmaker Yick called on the judiciary to help send a message to would be perpetrators. "According to previous reports, penalties are far short of the maximum and we would like the judiciary to think about imposing more maximum penalties to serve as a deterrent."

The current maximum penalty for cheating passengers is six months' imprisonment and a fine of HK$10,000. Members of the associations are also mulling whether they would like to see driving offense points handed out upon conviction. That change would require amendments to existing laws.

tim@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 01/09/2013 page1)