HONG KONG: A Hong Kong taxi driver has been fined HK$1,000 (US$128) for rude behaviour, having allegedly thrown a passenger’s change out of the window after she had asked him to slow down.
Magistrate Winnie Lau Yee-wan at West Kowloon Court convicted taxi driver Lam Ching-fung of behaving rudely towards a female passenger who had booked his cab from Hong Kong International Airport to a residential complex in Hung Hom on Dec 7, 2024.
Lam denied a summary charge of behaving “other than in a civil and orderly manner”, contrary to the general conduct requirements for public transport drivers under the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations.
In passenger Ng Yuk-lan’s testimony, she said she used a speedometer app to find that the driver was travelling at about 120 km/h (75mph), when the maximum speed limit on the road was 100 km/h.
Ng told the court she then asked Lam to slow down, but he snapped at her: “Don’t call a taxi next time. I am out here making a living. You can choose not to take it.”
When they arrived at their destination, Ng said she paid HK$300 in cash and asked for a receipt. She testified that when Lam handed back her change, he threw a HK$20 banknote out of the window.
Ng picked up the banknote and took a photo of the taxi’s licence plate to lodge a complaint.
In delivering the verdict, Lau said she believed the passenger’s account and found her a credible and reliable witness.
By contrast, she said the defendant was untruthful and rejected his defence.
Lam claimed he had not thrown the banknote out in a rude manner. He said he had handed the change to Ng, who told him to keep it and left it on the floor of the passenger seat.
He added that he only threw the banknote out after telling her he would not accept any extra payment.
Lau said it was “hard to believe” that Ng would have tried to tip the driver after their earlier quarrel over the driving speed.
The driver expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict and accused the magistrate of making assumptions.
“I have been driving for more than 30 years and I never talked to my passengers like this,” he said. - South China Morning Post
