Hong Kong minibus operators urged to boost pay for drivers to attract more local workers
- Union says only 5 per cent of minibus licence holders are actively working because of low pay and poor conditions
- Minibus operator says long-term problem of labour shortages cannot be solved by simply raising pay

Hong Kong unions have urged minibus operators to raise drivers’ pay to boost recruitment locally, pointing to the poor road test passing rate of the first group of imported workers and the large pool of potential employees in the city.
The Public Light Bus Branch of the Motor Transport Workers General Union said on Tuesday that only 5 per cent of minibus licence holders were actively working because of low pay and poor working conditions.
Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Michael Luk Chung-hung and the group called for better pay after the Transport Department recently revealed only two of six drivers from mainland China who took the road test needed for a local licence had passed.
The six were among the first group of 50 minibus drivers who arrived in the city from the mainland as part of a labour importation scheme to ease manpower shortages.

People hired under the scheme must be paid a monthly rate no lower than the median in the sector, which is HK$14,300 (US$1,830) for minibus drivers.