By Cannix Yau
The written test for aspiring taxi drivers will be made significantly easier by reducing and simplifying questions about locations and routes in an effort to ease the government鈥檚 severe hiring difficulties for its premium taxi scheme, with half its vehicles lacking sufficient drivers.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan told the Legislative Council on Wednesday that the Transport Department (TD) was undergoing a comprehensive review of the written test, with changes to be rolled out in the fourth quarter of this year.
鈥淗aving considered that modern navigation technology can now assist taxi drivers in quickly locating destinations and planning the most efficient driving routes, the TD will substantially reduce and simplify the questions on locations and routes鈥nd update the question bank, with a view to better aligning the test with practical needs,鈥 she said.
Chan assured that successful candidates would still possess the necessary professional knowledge and qualities of a taxi driver, including a fundamental understanding of major road networks and frequently visited locations.
She highlighted that after the test was streamlined in 2020, the number of candidates sitting the test had increased by 40 per cent, from less than 10,000 candidates in 2019 to around 14,000 last year.
The number of questions was reduced from 140 to 90, and the testing time was cut from 70 minutes to 45 minutes. Consequently, the pass rate significantly improved from 37 per cent in 2019 to 60 per cent last year.
鈥淭he above figures show that the enhancement of the taxi written test has a notably positive effect in attracting newcomers to join the taxi driver profession,鈥 she said.
The revamp comes as Hong Kong faces challenges in recruiting sufficient drivers for its new premium fleets. Only around 1,000 premium taxis are expected to be on the roads this month, which is around 50 per cent fewer than the government鈥檚 initial target.
The Transport Department is set to grant official licences to five taxi fleets by the end of July, aiming for 1,000 vehicles in service. This falls short of the government鈥檚 initial expectation that at least 60 per cent of the total 3,500 planned taxis, around 2,100 vehicles, would be ready for service by July.
As of the end of April, about 210,000 people held a taxi driving licence, but only 46,000 were active. The number of drivers under the age of 40 has increased by 48 per cent since 2019, reaching 17,500.
The transport minister pledged ongoing joint efforts to attract new blood to the trade, including organising job fairs and subsidised training courses.
Additionally, taxi fleet operators are introducing incentives such as bonuses and flexible working hours to appeal to potential drivers.
鈥淭hese efforts will continue, showing that the taxi fleet regime has a positive effect in attracting new blood to join the industry,鈥 she said.