New taxi fleet wins over 95% of passengers

Over 2,000 fleet taxis have completed 4.2 million trips as of the end of May.

More than 95% of passengers gave positive feedback on Hong Kong's new taxi fleet system, the Transport Department said.

Over 2,000 fleet taxis and roughly 2,400 drivers have completed approximately 4.2 million trips as of end-May, since the five fleets — SynCab, Big Boss Taxi, Amigo, Big Bee Taxi and Joie — began phased rollout last year.

The average driver age across the five fleets is 47, compared with an industry average of 60. Drivers aged 30-39 make up 20% of the fleet workforce.

The department has facilitated over 200 applications to the "Dedicated 100% Loan Guarantee Scheme for Battery Electric Taxis," expanding the fleets' EV numbers.

Fleets and charging operators now offer more than 160 charging points territory-wide.

Additionally, 95 dedicated fleet taxi stopping places have been introduced across 16 locations, including the airport, Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Phase II, M+ Museum, and the Hong Kong Port Area of the new Huanggang Port.

"Easy Ride," the aggregated booking platform linking all five fleets, has logged over 400,000 visits, with more than 10,000 taxis connected. Nearly 40% of orders were completed through the fleets, according to the department.

The department said complaint volumes for fleet taxis are lower than for non-fleet taxis, and the accident rate is also lower, attributing the gap to fleet operators' driver management practices.