Hong Kong taxi drivers threaten to blockade airport over luxury cab plan
Drastic action considered after drivers and supporters hold protest at government headquarters
The taxi trade has warned of drastic action to oppose plans to introduce premium cabs to the citythrough franchises, as transport minister Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung sticks to his guns over the trial scheme despite a protest by cabbies at government headquarters yesterday.
Ng Kwan-sing, spokesman for a group opposed to the government move, said taxi drivers could not rule out the possibility of further action such as blocking Hong Kong International Airport.
The warning came as about 100 taxis besieged government headquarters on Tim Mei Avenue and Lung Wui Road yesterday morning with protesters pouring buckets of cold water on two premium taxis in an emotional show of anger over plans to introduce 600 such vehicles shared among three franchises.
“We feel abandoned,” Ng said, adding that the exclusion of cabbies from the scheme would threaten their livelihoods. “We should be given a chance to participate in the new scheme first.”
He accused the government of failing to consult the taxi industry before it proposed the premium scheme.
“It’s very unfair for the tens of thousands of taxi drivers. Does it mean current cabbies are inferior? Are we not qualified to provide premium services?”
