Hong Kong taxi fleets lag behind licence targets as driver shortage persists

Five taxi fleet operators licensed in July 2025 have struggled to meet the Transport Department’s scale requirement of 3,500 vehicles. By the end of May 2026 the fleets collectively operated about 2,000 taxis and employed roughly 2,400 drivers, representing only 57% of the target and leaving a shortfall of 43%. The average driver age is 47, well below the industry average of 60, yet the limited pool of drivers hampers fleet expansion.

Service testing in late July showed mixed performance: some fleets (e.g., JOIE Taxi) required up to 26 minutes to secure a ride, while others such as BigHorn and BigBoss Taxi saw wait times of an hour with no driver response. The Department said it is supporting operators through recruitment fairs, driver‑training subsidies and monitoring systems, and is watching the upcoming rollout of 10,000 regulated ride‑hailing licences slated for November. Lawmakers have warned that without improvements, the fleets could be sidelined by a larger pool of ride‑hailing services.