Hong Kong taxi driver fined HK$8,000 for overcharging undercover police officer picked up at Disneyland

A taxi driver has been fined HK$8,000 for overcharging a passenger during a ride from Hong Kong Disneyland to a hotel in Sha Tin.

West Kowloon Law Courts Building. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Joe Lau, 44, appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Monday. He pleaded guilty to overcharging and not starting the taximeter while driving on May 1 this year.

The court heard that Lau picked up an undercover police officer posing as a passenger at around 9pm at Hong Kong Disneyland that day, local media reported. The officer showed him the address for Sha Tin’s Hyatt Regency hotel on his phone.

Lau then told the officer the fare would be HK$350. When the officer asked in Putonghua what route he would take, the driver also replied in Putonghua, inviting him to board. Lau did not start the taximeter.

When they arrived at the hotel, the officer paid HK$400 and the driver returned HK$50 in change. The officer then revealed their identity and arrested the driver.

Hong Kong Disneyland. Photo: Hong Kong Disneyland, via Facebook.

The ride from the theme park to the hotel should have cost around HK$250, the court heard.

Lau was fined HK$5,000 for the overcharging offence, and HK$3,000 for not starting the taximeter.

During mitigation, Lau said he earned a monthly salary of around HK$15,000, and that he knew he was in the wrong and would not reoffend.

Magistrate Amy Chan said such offences were on the rise and had an impact on Hong Kong’s image, and could cause tourists to lose confidence in the city.

Overcharging a taxi passenger and not starting the taximeter are offences under the city’s Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations. The former carries a maximum fine of HK$10,000 and six months’ imprisonment, while the latter is punishable by a fine of up to HK$5,000 and six months’ imprisonment.