3,500 new Premium Taxis to be introduced March 31st 2025

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Photo of the day No. 17 - Premium Taxi Fleet in Hong Kong

3,500 new Premium Taxis to be introduced March 31st 2025

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I have been reading the South China Morning Post since 1972 , it is a great newspaper and I access its online edition many times every day and I am a paid subscriber.

It is highly unlikely you will be able to read the article mentioned and as per the link above as no doubt there is a paid subscriber firewall, if you want to keep up with news in Hong Kong then please do consider subscribing to the South China Morning Post.

“Update to my detailed blog post in 2024 this update published 3rd March 2025 to include news on 3,500 new taxis as a premium fleet of cabs that will be introduced in Hong Kong at the end of March 2025 with many of them carrying 6 passengers! this is a major upgrade to the Taxi Industry in Hong Kong and not before time. See SCMP article text below”

“SCMP Article

Published: 5:15pm, 3 Mar 202 5Updated: 5:25pm, 3 Mar 2025

3,500 new premium taxis to hit roads in Hong Kong, starting later this month

Transport chief says taxi industry must stay relevant with ‘breakthroughs and innovations’ at launch ceremony of premium fleets

The first batch of the 3,500 cabs from five taxi fleets will begin operations in Hong Kong later this month offering premium services such as wireless internet, with the city’s transport minister calling the trade to “keep up with the times to avoid being disconnected”.

Joie, Syncab, Amigo, Big Boss and Big Bee are the taxi fleets that the government, taxi industry and the public have pinned their hopes on to revolutionise a sector long plagued by a reputation for bad practices – from poor service to refusal of non-cash payments – and competition from ride-hailing platforms such as Uber.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan Mei-po said at a launch ceremony on Monday that the 3,500 taxis, accounting for one-sixth of the roughly 18,000 cabs in the city, could drive a change towards better service in the industry.

The industry must “keep up with the times with breakthroughs and innovations to avoid being disconnected with the times,” Chan advised, saying taxis could shape the first impression of the city to foreign visitors.

She added that the government would submit legal amendments to the legislature in the second quarter of this year to require all taxis to install a video-recording system and provide at least two electronic payment tools.

Joie, a subsidiary of major taxi company Tai Wo Management, will begin service in March with an initial fleet of 480 taxis, eventually increasing the number to 800.

All drivers of Joie need to pass interviews and d riving tests on attitude and driving skills, and receive training on service standards, as well as how to serve passengers in wheelchairs or with special needs.

Joie also said it would offer wireless internet, charging facilities and a smart monitoring system on cabbies’ driving behaviour with a carrot-and stick system. Multiple languages, even Arabic, are available on its system.

The other four fleets have until the end of July to finish preparations and launch their services.

Sonia Cheng Man-yee, founder and executive director of SynCab, said the company had collaborated with the University of Hong Kong to develop a system that uses AI to enhance efficiency in order matching.

Syncab had offered some 26,000 reserved rides with 50 taxis since January, mostly to and from the airport. It has some 120,000 passenger members.

It promised to offer 425 taxis to government, and aims to have 5,000 vehicles in five years.

“With a fleet, taxi drivers will consider themselves as professionals. They can be friends with passengers,” said Cheng, adding that the company had recruited 60 drivers so far.

The fare for SynCab taxis would be metered in the same way as normal taxis if flagged down in the street, and 10 to 20 per cent higher if ordered online.

When making reservations for rides on the phone, mobile application or websites, passengers need to pay in advance of the rides. The fare depends on the district, timing and traffic conditions.

SynCab also said it had cooperated with several overseas ride-hailing platforms for Southeast Asia and mainland China to encourage visitors from these places to make bookings through the partner platforms when they come to Hong Kong.

Amigo, which will be launched by the end of July this year, will operate a fleet of 1,000 taxis. The service features a smart hailing system with AI-powered order dispatch and intelligent fare calculation.

Big Boss will have 300 taxis in total, including new energy cars. Chief operating officer Alex Chiu said the fares of its black premium taxis would be decided based on pricing on other ride-hailing platforms.

The company will launch its full service in July but start by offering 30 six-seater taxis initially with all-round ventilation, high-end sound systems and automatic massage seats. Additionally, 10 wheelchair taxis will be deployed for disabled passengers.

Chiu said the company would decide on whether to expand its premium fleet after reviewing sales, but hoped the number of premium cars would reach a quarter or a third of the total.

Big Bee will have 1,000 electric vehicles in total and start operations in July.

Both Big Boss and Big Bee will offer round-the-clock customer service hotlines. The fare for their fleets’ regular taxis will follow the meter if flagged down in the streets.

Prices may rise if reserved online, especially during peak hours, for premium taxis or special services, as determined by the companies’ systems.”

This is a major step forward for the Taxi Industry in Hong Kong, just last week in late February 2025 the Taxi Industry was threatening a 5 day strike in Hong Kong because of what they perceive as unfair competition from the likes of Uber and other ride hailing services and this has been ongoing for over 10 years.

Uber has been operating “illegally” with the tacit approval of the Hong Kong Government because of huge consumer demand and the continued poor attitude of the entire Taxi Industry in Hong Kong which has been in terminal decline for decades now. it seems every day for the past few years there have been daily articles about Taxis in Hong Kong and virtually every article has been less than complimentary.

The Government has finally got their act together and is introducing legislation allowing for ride hailing services which should have been put in place 10+ years ago.

It boils down to the cost of a Taxi Licence in Hong Kong, the value of which has declined more than 50% + in the past 10 years, the Government created this mess and has finally got sick and tired of the antics of the Taxi Industry, whilst I sympathise with those that invested an astronomical sum for a taxi licence, their reluctance to adapt to a changing world (ie even today most Taxis only accept HK$ cash payment) has forced the Government to take action.

Personally my big gripe was not payment issues, grumpy driver issues, cleanliness issues and such it was the actual ride itself, with the overwhelming majority of taxis only allowing for 4 passengers and trust me, 4 passengers of the Asian body type and not fat gits like me! the 5 passenger taxi was | is awful, a Toyota Crown and 2 passengers had to sit on a bench seat in the front of the cab with the driver, it was always so uncomfortable.

This Premium Service that the Government has approved is a blessing, I am guessing most of the new premium taxis will be Mainland Chinese EV’s because they are dirt cheap and can accommodate 6 passengers comfortably, this is a game changer.. I have been in a few of these new taxis and although not a fan of EV’s (I am a car nut) they are very comfortable and I am sure for fleet operators very affordable.

I cannot stress enough at how this is going to change things in Hong Kong particularly for tourists, many of them take taxis from the airport to their hotel, it is their first taste of Hong Kong so to speak and it has never been a pleasant experience. I sincerely hope that the standard taxi industry which will still number over 15,000 cabs will consider trading in their old vehicles for the larger versions, the old vehicle is still mainly a crappy noddy car (as I call it) from Toyota which replaced the old Toyota Crown, I just cannot stand them and they only have room for 4 passengers.

I am looking forward to seeing all the new taxi fleets at the end of March 2025!

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