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As convenient as Hong Kong’s public transport system is, catching taxis in the city can be a somewhat intimidating endeavour, what with sometimes surly and uncommunicative drivers, recklessly high speeds, and vehicles that can reek of old cigarettes. The only thing worse than the above is when you’re fumbling among the random coins and receipts in your wallet to pay the man while he tsk-es or side-eyes you with a hand passive-aggressively outstretched and someone is already lingering outside your open cab door just waiting to jump in.
Well, no more! The day has finally come when we no longer have to deal with cash and loose change when taking taxis – a long-awaited upgrade to the city’s transportation seeing as our contactless Octopus cards payment system has been around since 1997. As of Wednesday, April 1, all taxi drivers in Hong Kong are required to provide at least two e-payment options for passengers.
Hong Kong’s new regulations further dictate that out of the digital payment options offered, one must be QR code-based, such as AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK, or BoC Pay, while the other must be a non-scanning option like Octopus, credit cards, or FPS. According to the Transport Department, more than 47,000 registered cab drivers have already set up the commercial Octopus app or installed mobile card readers in their vehicles.
Of course, you might be wondering how this all pans out, seeing as nearly two-thirds of cabbies in Hong Kong are aged 60 or older. The government has already set up three service stations across Hong Kong where cab drivers could go to set up their new payment systems, troubleshoot, learn how to operate the technology, and more. The Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association also added that some options include ‘all-in-one’ smart meters which saves drivers from manually inputting fares into any system – a feature designed to help elderly drivers.
Passengers can look out for stickers on the taxi windows that will clearly display which forms of digital payment are offered in each cab before getting in. We love that our taxis are finally joining the rest of us in the digital age – what about you?
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