Opinion | Hi-tech tourism hub? Hong Kong’s taxis don’t even take card payments
- Most Hong Kong taxis can still only take cash while popular apps like Uber are harassed by the government
- That’s not a good look for a city with hi-tech ambitions aiming to attract big-spending international travellers
The taxi case first. It was nearly lunchtime and a fairly long queue was gradually being accommodated by arriving vehicles. I moved up to second place behind a smartly dressed young woman. She got in the next taxi, then almost immediately jumped out. She gestured for me to take her place, saying: “He doesn’t take cards, I have no cash.”
As she went off to look for an ATM and I boarded the cab, I felt embarrassed, even ashamed. How primitive a society we must seem to international travellers – particularly the well-heeled ones we say we are particularly keen to attract – and how backward compared to rival business and tourism centres in the region.
A quick online search later suggested that, of our more than 18,000 taxis, only some 600 are equipped to accept electronic payment linked to the meter which can be settled by Octopus or credit card. Other individual drivers may have installed different options. However, I remember paying my taxi fare by credit card in Singapore 10 years ago.
