Hong Kong taxi driver jailed 8 weeks, fined HK$3,000 after overcharging undercover officer and fleeing scene

A taxi driver has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison and fined HK$3,000 after he was caught overcharging an undercover police officer and then sped away to flee the scene.

Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP

Chan Wai-kee, 64, appeared at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, local media reported. He pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving and two charges related to overcharging.

Chan admitted to committing the offences on April 29, when an undercover police officer boarded his taxi as part of a sting operation in Happy Valley targeting rogue taxi drivers.

According to case details, Chan quoted a flat fare of HK$280 when the officer asked in Mandarin to go to the InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui – around HK$150 more than the legally prescribed rate. Chan then drove off without starting the taximeter.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the undercover officer paid with cash and exited the vehicle. Another plainclothes officer then approached the driver’s window and identified himself as police.

Chan accelerated suddenly and sped away, endangering the officers and nearby pedestrians. The following day, he surrendered to police, identifying himself as the driver involved in the incident.

Eastern Magistrates Court. Photo: Selina Cheng/HKFP.

The court heard that Chan had 32 prior criminal convictions, including some linked to overcharging and similar offences. He also had seven earlier traffic convictions, including two for careless driving.

The defence highlighted Chan’s voluntary surrender in mitigation, saying that it demonstrated genuine remorse, and argued that he was unlikely to reoffend since the taxi association would no longer issue him a license.

Principal Magistrate David Cheung said that Chan risked injury to others in attempting to flee, and he therefore considered imprisonment appropriate.

Under Hong Kong law, the maximum penalty for overcharging is six months’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$10,000.  Careless driving also carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison, as well as a $5,000 fine.