The air is thick with cigarette smoke and Cantonese profanity as half a dozen taxi drivers ply their fire-engine red cabs in a quiet corner of Hong Kong's gritty Prince Edward neighborhood.
It is handed over in the afternoon, when the drivers of the day shift hand over their taxis to those working the night shift. They hand over to a taxi agent, a matriarchal figure who collects fares for vehicles, manages their schedules, and offers unsolicited advice on exercising more and quitting smoking. The drivers send him off.
In this city of more than seven million people, trying to change the habits of a taxi driver could not be more difficult. Often grumpy and in a rush for the next fare, taxi drivers in Hong Kong have been plying their trade for decades, reflecting the fast-paced, frenetic culture that has long energized the city.
But taxi drivers are under pressure to keep up with the times. Their passengers are tired of being driven recklessly, roughed up and in many cases having to pay cash for their fares – one of the strangest features of life in Hong Kong. The practice is so ingrained that airport staff often have to warn tourists at taxi stands that they must carry the bills.
The government has tried to crack down on taxi drivers, both because of complaints and to revive tourism. Officials launched a summer campaign urging drivers to be more courteous. They introduced a point system where bad driver behavior – such as overcharging or refusing passengers – would be tracked and could result in the loss of licences.
In early December, the government proposed requiring all taxis to install systems that allow them to accept credit cards and digital payments by the end of 2025, and to add surveillance cameras by the end of 2026.
As expected, many taxi drivers opposed the idea of closer controls.
“Would you like to be in control all the time?” said Lau Bing-kwan, a 75-year-old taxi driver with sparse strands of white hair who only accepts cash. “The government is ordering too much.”
Hold on to your seats
If the new controls are imposed, it will mark the end of an era for an industry that has long been an anomaly in Hong Kong. world class transportation system. Every day, millions of people travel safely in elegant subways and reliably functioning air-conditioned double-decker buses.
By comparison, taking a taxi can be an adventure. Step into one of Hong Kong's signature four-door Toyota Crown Comfort cabs and you'll likely find (what's the opposite of greeting?) a man in his 60s or older with a phalanx of dashboard-mounted cell phones — sometimes used. GPS navigation and other times to track horse racing results. Happiness will not be changed. Wait for the gas pedal to be placed on the floor.
Then you'll reflexively grab the lever and try not to slide off the midnight blue vinyl seats as you zip down the city's notoriously narrow streets. Finally, before reaching your destination, you will prepare your small bills and coins so as not to burden the driver with a time-consuming exit.
“When they let you go, you have to hurry,” said Sylvia He, a professor of urban studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who, like many residents of this city, feels compelled to walk around the taxi on eggshells. “I don't want to delay their next order.”
For many taxi drivers, impatience and rudeness are a reflection of their harsh reality: When they're in a job with diminishing financial rewards, there's no time to waste on social niceties. For example, Lau Man-hung, a 63-year-old driver, takes meal and bathroom breaks to stay behind the wheel long enough to take home $2,500 a month. the most expensive cities in the world.
“Some customers are too careless,” said Mr. Lau, using a Cantonese word that means troublesome or annoying. “They like to complain about which route to take. They tell you to go quickly.”
Fragile Economics of an Industry
Taxi driving used to be a decent way to make a living. But the going got tougher, made worse by mainland China's economic slowdown. The city has struggled to revive its appeal with tourists, with bars and nightclubs once packed with crowds crammed into narrow streets now less fun.
Even before the recession, some taxi license holders were struggling. Taxi licenses are restricted by the government and sold in a freely regulated market. After a speculative bubble a decade ago drove prices to nearly $1 million for a license, some owners suffered huge losses.
Today, licenses are worth about two-thirds of their high prices a decade ago. Many licensed businesses and drivers are more focused on recovering losses than improving service.
Tin Shing Motors, a family-owned company, operates drivers and sells taxi license mortgages and taxi insurance. Chris Chan, 47, a third-generation member of the company, says Tin Shing is saddled with mortgages taken out when licenses were more valuable.
To get rid of this debt, Mr. Chan needs to rent out his taxis as much as possible. But he is having trouble finding a driver. Many taxi drivers are old and young people are far removed from the tedious work. Profit margins have shrunk, he added, especially with insurance costs almost doubling in recent years. Uber has also picked up some customers despite operating in a gray area in Hong Kong.
“It's harder to make money,” Mr. Chan said.
Below are the drivers, about half of whom are 60 and older. Many cannot afford to retire. They need to make about $14 an hour to break even after paying for gas and vehicle rentals. According to them, cash in hand is better than waiting for the elimination of electronic payments.
Blue Collar Work Is Professionalizing
The tension between the public and the taxi drivers erupts with mutual finger-pointing. When the government introduced a politeness campaign last year, one driver told a TV reporter that it was the passengers who were rude.
In many ways, Hong Kong's taxi drivers epitomize the high-stress, no-nonsense culture of the city's working class. Their rudeness is no different from the service at cha chaan teng, local cafes that fill the masses with egg sandwiches, instant noodles and saccharine sweet milk tea. Servers are short but fast.
“People tend to have one bad experience and remember it for the rest of their lives,” said Hung Wing-tat, a retired professor who studies the taxi industry. “That's why the public gets the impression that most taxi drivers are bad when they just want to earn a living. They don't want any problems.”
Indeed, there are taxi drivers like Joe Fong, 45, who see no value in antagonizing their customers and try to accommodate the needs of their passengers.
“Why fight?” Mr. Fong said. “We need each other. You need a ride, and I need your money.”
Mr. Fong maximizes his income by splitting his time between driving a private car for Uber and driving taxis for a taxi fleet called Alliance. Mr Fong has five mobile phones taped to his dashboard. He welcomes electronic payments and didn't raise an eyebrow when Alliance installed cameras on all its taxis last year.
“I'm not like those old guys,” said Mr Fong, who drives one of Hong Kong's newer hybrid taxis made by Toyota, which looks like a cross between a London cab and a PT Cruiser. “The world has changed. You have to accept it.”
Olivia Wang contributed to the report.