Non-payment of Fares and Acts of Violence against Taxi Drivers

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Transport (a) how many cases of passengers refusing to pay their fares and committing acts of violence have been reported by taxi drivers in the past three years; (b) whether the Ministry will consider raising the penalties against such offenders to serve as a deterrence; and (c) whether the Ministry will make it mandatory for taxi drivers to be covered by insurance against loss of income and medical treatment arising from any injury sustained in such incidents.

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Over the past three years, there were 355 cases of fare evasion and 162 cases of passengers assaulting taxi drivers.

Passengers found guilty of fare evasion may be fined up to $1,000, and repeat offenders may be fined up to $2,000 or jailed for up to six months, or both. Voluntarily causing hurt is a criminal offence under the Penal Code, and offenders can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed for up to two years, or both. Taxi drivers are also protected under the Protection from Harassment Act enacted last year, under which offenders face a fine not exceeding $5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, or both. We assess that the penalties are appropriate for now, but will continue to review regularly.

We encourage all taxi drivers to take up appropriate medical and income insurance. However, on the question of whether we should make it mandatory, different drivers have different needs and some may decide that they do not need as much insurance as others. This is a decision best left to individual drivers.