Taxis - High mileage, but still running well

[inlinesix]

Yes, I heard from friends that the DiDi app is already in use in HK, but there are apparently some bugs, such as the app's English version does not work the moment you cross the border from mainland China to HK.

 

Uber has always been around in HK but in a far lower profile way than in other countries. The usual UberX or whatever the equivalent is called there is still considered illegal as HK has certain laws about providing chauffeur and rental services; there have been a few high-profile protests by taxi unions and arrests of Uber employees and drivers.

 

English version Didi has lesser option than Mandarin.

[Bicolor]

English version Didi has lesser option than Mandarin.

 

Yes, that makes sense. Same with some of the taxi apps in HK - the English version has fewer features. Only thing is that some of my expat friends who use Didi in China are reliant on the English version as they can't read Chinese.

[Nzy]

Just curious, which car model is so reliable ?

 

Most cabs hit these kind of mileage. My dad used to drive the Sonata and his did that amount in around 5 years. The hirer had many relief drivers so it was driven 24 hours a day except when it went in for servicing.

[RCTP]

@radx issue passport please

[RadX]

@radx issue passport please

 

thanks..hahhaa..i'm really like united nations...kekekkeke

 

gd day bro

[RCTP]

Morning!

 

Haha at least now I know that should one day I get in trouble with the law and need a fake passport, I'll know where to go to get it.

[Alheych]

These are Lantau taxis. They can only operate on Lantau Island, including the airport area and Disneyland.

 

There are currently only 50 of them at any one time, and for a very long time the quota has never been increased. Apparently there might be plans to increase the quota, but nothing concrete yet if I'm not mistaken.

 

 

With only 50 taxis to serve the island, which is always full of tourists and expats, and many journeys being good ones that make good money, they are literally the best kind of taxi to drive in Hong Kong. There are almost never any available for rental - it is rare that regular hirers give up unless they pass on or move out of the area. There was once an ad looking for a day shift driver for a blue taxi - I called ten minutes after the ad was posted, but it was already taken!

 

Most Crown taxis in HK are now auto. But because of the mountainous terrain, many owners of blue taxis have stubbornly kept their old Crowns and Nissan Cedrics which are manual, with the old fashioned column shifter. These are over 15 - 17 years old by now, but I rode in one quite recently and was absolutely amazed at the condition. Sure, the suspension was getting a bit rough, but the interior was well kept and the engine was quiet and smooth, an impressive fact in itself given that the transmission was a four-speed manual! How long has it been since most of us have ever seen a four-speed manual?

 

Thanks for this very informative post...

 

I had lived in HK for a few years in the 90s as well. Was told that back then, all taxis queuing at Kai Tak Airport belonged to gangs. And if those which didn't belong to the gangs or didn't pay for protection went to queue at the airport, their windscreen will be shattered as a warning. Wonder if this still happens and if you've encountered anything close.

[Bicolor]

I heard a lot of such stories too. Even as recent as back in the 1990s, HK was still somewhat a cowboy town, but things have changed a lot since then. One can now drive a taxi there and never encounter anything like that (can't say the same for the minibus industry - lots of them are partly controlled by syndicates).

 

I never experienced any such things myself, as I never queued at the airport (the wait can be hours), but I asked some seniors I know who do queue regularly. They told me that they, too, have not encountered any such issues in recent years, and the queue at the airport is strictly regulated.

 

There are such things occurring at the Lok Ma Chau border crossing but the gangs involved (they don't even qualify as syndicates or triads) are much less powerful than those in the past. It isn't as drastic as physically hurting you or smashing your windscreen, they will only try to intimidate unfamiliar faces who have never queued there and claim that you need to join the group and pay to queue, but they back down and leave you alone if you stand your ground and call for the station staff or threaten to call the police as they don't want to draw attention either.

 

The reason why they succeed in scaring people away is that to most taxi drivers, time is money, and most of them would not want to waste time in unnecessary confrontations; they'd rather get out as quickly as possible and find passengers elsewhere. My friend queues at Lok Ma Chau all the time and those people recognize him and simply leave him alone as they know he can stand his ground and is ready to waste some time by calling the police if they make things hard for him. They can do nothing more than give him nasty glares every time he shows up there!

 

I never experienced this either as I found it quite stupid to queue for up to an hour at the Lok Ma Chau terminal, when simply cruising out into nearby roads and villages was often more productive. 

 

Then at some hotels, some groups of taxi drivers have an arrangement with the hotel staff manning the driveways. They pay a certain amount for permission to wait there, so there will always be a taxi or two waiting in the driveway, while others who come in are told by the hotel staff to leave.

 

 

 

Thanks for this very informative post...

 

I had lived in HK for a few years in the 90s as well. Was told that back then, all taxis queuing at Kai Tak Airport belonged to gangs. And if those which didn't belong to the gangs or didn't pay for protection went to queue at the airport, their windscreen will be shattered as a warning. Wonder if this still happens and if you've encountered anything close.

 

[Alheych]

 

I heard a lot of such stories too. Even as recent as back in the 1990s, HK was still somewhat a cowboy town, but things have changed a lot since then. One can now drive a taxi there and never encounter anything like that (can't say the same for the minibus industry - lots of them are partly controlled by syndicates).

 

I never experienced any such things myself, as I never queued at the airport (the wait can be hours), but I asked some seniors I know who do queue regularly. They told me that they, too, have not encountered any such issues in recent years, and the queue at the airport is strictly regulated.

 

There are such things occurring at the Lok Ma Chau border crossing but the gangs involved (they don't even qualify as syndicates or triads) are much less powerful than those in the past. It isn't as drastic as physically hurting you or smashing your windscreen, they will only try to intimidate unfamiliar faces who have never queued there and claim that you need to join the group and pay to queue, but they back down and leave you alone if you stand your ground and call for the station staff or threaten to call the police as they don't want to draw attention either.

 

The reason why they succeed in scaring people away is that to most taxi drivers, time is money, and most of them would not want to waste time in unnecessary confrontations; they'd rather get out as quickly as possible and find passengers elsewhere. My friend queues at Lok Ma Chau all the time and those people recognize him and simply leave him alone as they know he can stand his ground and is ready to waste some time by calling the police if they make things hard for him. They can do nothing more than give him nasty glares every time he shows up there!

 

I never experienced this either as I found it quite stupid to queue for up to an hour at the Lok Ma Chau terminal, when simply cruising out into nearby roads and villages was often more productive. 

 

Then at some hotels, some groups of taxi drivers have an arrangement with the hotel staff manning the driveways. They pay a certain amount for permission to wait there, so there will always be a taxi or two waiting in the driveway, while others who come in are told by the hotel staff to leave.

 

 

every industry has its tricks, indeed...