Some Hong Kong taxi drivers have yet to install e-payment options even after the city’s new mandatory electronic payment for taxis went into effect, highlighting a digital divide challenge facing cabbies, the South China Morning Post has observed.
Starting on 1 April, the Transport Department mandated all drivers to offer passengers at least two electronic payment options, encompassing one QR code option and one alternative electronic method.
The government initiative aimed to elevate the overall quality of taxi services by leveraging technology to cater to different passenger needs, a department spokesman said.
At Times Square on Wednesday morning, elderly driver surnamed Fong had not provided e-payment options. When asked if he had alternative payment options, Fong only offered to receive Chinese yuan.
“Not yet, we have not installed those,” he said and apologised.
In contrast, former Citybus driver Cheung Lik-chuen, 71, successfully processed an Octopus card transaction via a mobile phone application in two minutes and possessed multiple payment methods except for a credit card terminal.
