Two cabbies arrested for overcharging fares in Lan Kwai Fong

Two taxi drivers were arrested in a weeklong police crackdown on cabbies overcharging tourists in areas such as Lan Kwai Fong in Central, Apple Daily reported Monday.

The two men were aged 34 and 49 and have been released on bail.

Police said the operation is continuing.

During the first eight months of the year, the transport division of the Hong Kong Island police headquarters recorded 469 complaints relating to taxi drivers, including overcharging, refusal to take passengers and failing to take the most direct routes to destinations.

The majority of these incidents took place in the bar district around Lan Kwai Fong, police said.

Since Aug. 1, police officers have posed as tourists in the district and handed out 25 penalty tickets.

In the first half of the year, police arrested 17 taxi drivers and issued about 900 penalty tickets.

Under the law, taxi drivers convicted of overcharging face imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to HK$10,000.

-- Contact us at [email protected]

EL/AC/FL