Hong Kong police have arrested a 31-year-old cabby who demanded a “highway toll” of about HK$85 (US$11) from officers posing as passengers during a crackdown on taxi violations.
The force said on Tuesday that officers conducted an operation to crack down on taxi violations on Lantau Island the previous day.
Officers posing as passengers took a taxi from Hong Kong Disneyland Resort to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint. When they arrived, the driver demanded about HK$85 as a “highway toll”.
Officers then revealed their identities and arrested the man on suspicion of overcharging, failing to display his taxi driver identity plate, driving in a prohibited area and not issuing a receipt upon request.
Police said the taxi involved had been impounded for inspection.
“The driver’s behaviour not only harmed the rights of individual passengers but also tarnished Hong Kong’s reputation as an international tourist city,” the force said. “Police will continue to crack down on such behaviour.”
