A government proposal to tighten the physical fitness requirements for commercial vehicle drivers in Hong Kong will be introduced to the legislature no later than the first quarter of next year, according to the city’s transport minister.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said on Saturday that physical fitness checks could include tests for hearing and screening for conditions such as dementia, as well as stricter eye examinations.
Chan’s remarks follow renewed calls for stricter health checks for older drivers after a taxi, driven by an 80-year-old, hit and killed a Filipino tourist on Tuesday.
The government submitted recommendations to the Legislative Council in May 2023, proposing that commercial vehicle drivers aged 65 or above should submit fitness certification annually to renew their driving licences, but the proposal was delayed.
“After consulting the Legislative Council, our work has never stopped,” Chan said, adding that authorities had met with the different sectors to gather their opinions on the government’s proposal.
“We are entering the final stage, but there are a lot of detailed areas that we hope we could streamline further,” she said. “We really hope that we can submit the proposal no later than the first quarter of next year, but if we can speed up the process, we would communicate with the legislature to see if we can legislate the proposal earlier, so our preparation work could be more solid.”
A source said the original proposal was delayed due to opposition from the taxi industry, which is also suffering from a manpower shortage, with few young people expressing interest in joining the profession.
