Transport Commissioner Winnie Tse said on Tuesday that taxi fleets need to 'work harder' when it comes to hiring drivers, with the number of fleet taxis providing services falling short of the initial target set by authorities.

Five taxi fleets commenced services in phases since July last year, following the administration's hope to reform taxi services and improve service quality.

But only about 2,000 fleet taxis and about 2,400 fleet taxi drivers are now providing services.

Speaking on an RTHK programme on Tuesday, Tse said the number of fleet taxis is steadily increasing, and some fleets have already reached 85 percent of their committed size.

"We are confident that with the fleet's continuous efforts in hiring drivers, along with the government's assistance in every possible way, the fleets will be able to meet the intended targets gradually," Tse said.

She said the government has so far organised more than 20 job fairs for fleet operators, which have attracted more than 100 drivers to join the fleets.

Dedicated fleet taxi stopping places were also introduced across 16 locations, Tse said, such as the airport and several boundary control points, as well as the new Huanggang Port.

Over 160 charging service points are also available across the territory to support the sector.

Tse said going forward, the government will encourage hotels and the tourism sector to make greater use of taxi fleets to promote such services to the public and tourists.


Edited by Aaron Tam