Hong Kong’s taxi sector to government: work out insurance for extreme weather before expecting us to ferry passengers in a typhoon
- Call comes after Typhoon Koinu chaos at airport in which thousands of arrivals to city were stranded following suspension of express rail service
- Bus association says it turned down MTR Corp’s request to provide emergency services to those stranded at airport during storm due to safety reasons
Hong Kong’s taxi industry has called on the government to work out an insurance package for cabbies before expecting them to take stranded passengers in extreme weather.
A non-franchised bus association on Tuesday cited safety concerns as the reason it had turned down an MTR Corporation request to provide emergency coach services to those trying to leave the airport at the height of Typhoon Koinu on Sunday.
The storm, which at one point triggered the second-highest No 9 typhoon alert, shut down some rail services, including the Airport Express, forcing thousands of air and MTR passengers to book hotel rooms, sleep on site or wait for hours for taxis to get home.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu conceded the situation was “undesirable”, demanding the Transport and Logistics Bureau come up with a contingency plan with the MTR Corp, as well as the Airport Authority.
The airport chaos on Sunday night was sparked by the No 9 typhoon warning being issued by the Observatory with only 15 minutes’ advance notice. Airport authorities had said they called taxi associations for support but not many cabs showed up in the end.
Some passengers also complained about cabbies charging three times the usual fare or more.
Ng Kwan-shing, chairman of the Taxi Dealers and Owners Association, stressed most drivers were reluctant to work during a No 8 typhoon alert or above as insurance companies would reject claims for vehicle damage, prompting those who took risks to charge extra to cover themselves.
