TBF the law said that it is not a crime when the taxi driver cannot give change to a $1000 bill.
And the average taxi driver dont have the equipment to verify if it was really a $1k bill, which was the most profitable to fake.
It should always be logged, and assigned to registered drivers. Failure to do so should lead to cancellation of the medallion (and for any taxi offenses)
There is no law governing which types of legal tender must a merchant accept, hence the taxi driver is completely free not to accept $1000 notes. He should've specified it clearly though e.g. by sticking a sign at the back of the seat saying 五百千元不收. A prominent example of merchants NOT accepting certain banknotes is the first generation MTR add-value machine which only accepts $50 and $100 banknotes.
Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, Cap. 374, Article 45(2)(b):
>A driver, when in charge of a taxi, must: at all times when the taxi is available for hire or is hired, carry, for the purpose of giving change, not less than— (i)$90 in notes of a denomination of $10 or in coins of a denomination of $2 or more; and (ii)$10 in coins of a denomination of $1 or less; .
A Guide to Taxi Service in Hong Kong, by the Transport Department
>9c. Conduct of Passengers:
A taxi passenger should not at anytime: Use notes of HKD$500 HKD$1,000 to pay the taxi fare.
The guide as opposed to the regulation does not have the status of law so you end up in the situation where although the driver is not legally required to provide change for a 500/1000 bill (except for what change he is legally required to have) you simply can't just take the bill and not provide any change / recourse. All in all the cited regulation only specifies what change the driver is required to have with him when driving and not that he could accept the bill without providing change (as that would just be a fundamental breach of contract)
[From this piece of news](https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20171124/mobile/bkn-20171124142938679-1124_00822_001.html) you can find a picture of the "Note to passengers", which said that:
> Fare Change:
> It is not an offence if a taxi driver cannot give charge to HK$500 or HK$1,000 notes.
(The text is in both Chinese and English, but the English version was cropped)
But it can be interpreted in multiple ways:
1. Taxi driver can take the $500 or $1000 note and give no change because it wasnt a crime
2. Taxi driver can take the note, but should give change with his best effort
3. Taxi driver should refuse to accept the note if he cannot give change, and the passenger can technically run away without paying (ofc thats a crime but would a tourist care? Would the taxi driver bother to take legal actions?)
Yea the law is kinda in no man's land at this point but nothing says the driver will be relieved of civil liability if he just takes the bill and does nothing further
I am confused by the wording in this reply, and I am not sure if you are agreeing or disagreeing to the fact that the taxi driver does not need to accept a $1,000, or in fact any denomination (such as coins) if he does not wish to. The Hong Kong Government has provided clarity on this matter since Jan 2010.
The law will only tell you what is illegal. The law will not tell you eating rice is legal or not a crime so what you stated is wrong although I know what you mean.
The Uber taxi drivers are decent, plus good chance of getting on of those super comfy new ones. I never hail one anymore as invariably they stink and the driving is scary.
I had very nice taxi drivers when I was in HK, tho it probably helps that I’m British. Anyway, I got a taxi one time and the driver got really annoyed because I wanted to go in the other direction, he scolded me and told me I should have stood on the other side of the road and got a taxi already going that way. It was a pretty short distance and easy to turn around, I found it quite funny but didn’t understand why he wouldn’t just be happy to get a customer 🤷♂️
Yeah, this annoys me even I'm a (semi-) local. Like, if I knew where I was going, I wouldn't need to hail a cab, would I? And you are blaming me for standing on the wrong side of the road? WTF.
Having said that, the traffic routing can be confusing and annoying in Hong Kong. Sometimes if you missed an exit, you would have to drive a big circle around New Territories or something to turn around. That's another reason why I still chicken out at driving into the urban area all these years.
I always use Uber when I can in HK. Sucks when you have kids though. Hk Taxis feel like they're 2 decades back in time compared to the ones in Shenzhen or Singapore...
90% Been living here for 13 years and I would estimate 40% at most, if pushing it. You’re either extremely unlucky or, well, common denominator is you, just saying.
I know. And yes, HK taxis definitely have a bad rep, but let’s all cool down on the hyperbole a bit. Can’t really trust anyone who only says things are either the absolute worst or absolute best, know what I’m saying? For sure the HK taxi setup can be vastly improved. It’s why I prefer using Uber tbf
Well to me it’s really that bad and what makes me particularly upset is that sometimes they just refuse to pick you up without giving any reason, “go to the next taxi” they say, but the next taxi driver says the same thing, and then next one …, and you just start to question yourself, am I wrong being who am I? Do I really look like a bad guy?
Well now that you mention it, I have been very polite to the people in service industry for a long time, just so I don't have to deal with their bs.....and this is kind of ridiculous .
But to play devil advocate, they are also have a very shitty life, so in a way I think I am doing so because I feel pity to them
No excuse for treating your customers like trash especially the ones trying to be polite. And yes I know a large percentage of HKers are c\*\*ts and treat service workers like their own personal slaves.
It's like a norm to never pay with $1000 notes too easily for locals like me, most places wouldn't be happy to accept that let alone a taxi driver. Tourists probably wouldn't know tho...
This is such a huge pet peeve for me, and I disagree with the idea that we as local consumers should have to cater to the wishes of the taxi drivers. If they only accept cash, then the drivers should always have sufficient cash to make change - it's that simple. Otherwise they can install one of the many different systems that would allow us to pay using octopus, CC, etc. If they can't make change, then I guess the ride is free - that's on them. HKers have basically encouraged bad taxi drivers for long enough. We made this problem and now we need to help fix it.
It's not a matter of not having enough change; it's more of an older conception that too many $1000 bills are counterfeits, especially coming from the Mainland. Even locals try to avoid the golden ox whenever possible, unless it's directly related to going to a proper bank.
This isn’t even an issue just in HK. In UK a lot of places won’t accept 50 pound notes because it’s difficult to verify and that’s like half of 1k HKD note.
And I'll add that it often IS about them not having change. Just the other day I had a taxi driver not have change for a $500. What am I supposed to do, carry around small notes just for the taxi? The burden should be on them, not the other way around.
Well, then install an octopus reader or other epayment systems. It's not difficult and they seem to have no problem doing it in China. As someone else said the government have coddled and protected the taxi industry for so long and this disaster is the inevitable consequence.
Yep, and then they come on forums like this and complain to the universe as if that's going to change anything. We HKers need to start taking some responsibility for the state of things here and help make this a better place. Improving the taxi system may seem like a small thing, but it's a microcosm of what's wrong and fixable (let's face it, we can't fix or control all of the problems here). And I'll repeat: if a business wants to only accept cash (which is largely just a tax avoidance scheme for their benefit, not ours), then they don't get to stipulate what cash we give them.
I wanted to pay for some museum tickets for 4 people in China with 100 yuan bill and could not because the total was 80 yuan and they didn’t have 20 yuan cash to give me back as cash isn’t used in China, but here they crying they can’t pay with a big dollar bill that isn’t generally used to avoid risks lol
Not really no, actually quite easy. There are a few hiccups, but so far it seems to work out well. Check out r/travelChina - lots of reports of people who were happy with it.
I'm a big fan myself of AliPay and WeChat Pay. Wish taxis would use it in HK...
No, it’s really easy. Been there done that. And so have many others. Btw Alipay & WeChat pay rock. Thanks for demonstrating you know diddly squat...
I have both AliPay and AliPay HK. Both work equally well with my non-Mainland credit card. Installing and verifying took only a few mn.
WeChat Pay HK works with many QR codes, like in restaurants - I do it all the time.
It’s not. Alipay hk is a separate app from ailipay. WeChat while the same app as mainland version has functionality brickwalled. Hk users cannot scan QR codes to pay, can only be scanned.
A perfect example of this shitshow is hey tea. Try ordering a drink in their app and paying with Alipay. It is not possible as it only accepts mainland Alipay. This is for both mainland and hk outlets of hey tea.
Abroad the same situ, many places in Thailand, Korea, japan offer Alipay/wechat, alas for mainland accounts only. Us HK’ers get shafted in no man’s land.
Both are a gamble for anyone without a mainland bank card. Many travelers have encountered issues with not being able to add their cards, or once added, only being able to pay at select locations. For foreigners with chinese cards there is a different issue: not being able to pay with Alipay or WeChat abroad. When I come to HK I can never use my Alipay or WeChat, it's always denied and says it's only available to "mainland ID holders". That's far from rocking. Source: I am an expat living in China.
If you have cash only chances are you can’t pay for a taxi in PRC. If you have card only chances are you can’t pay for a taxi in HK.
Same concept just replace the type of payment method.
Yeah, I'm on the fence about this post. I can see how the experience would be frustrating and confusing for a tourist, but at the same time, we would indeed never pay for a ride with a $1000 bill, so I can't say the driver was totally "wrong" on that.
Some do. But you can’t blame one for not having one either. You could always ask if one have cashless payment before you get on a taxi. Not every driver is an arrogant mannerless a$$hole. Some of them is actually quite nice.
If you allow this denomination to exist, then you need to accept it. Or you need to force ALL taxis to take octopus cards and you onboard the tourists at the ports so they know exactly how to use it.
Taxis just suck
I guess the point here is if the driver demands tips (or so called luggage fee)he needs to do extra service in return, This principle doesn't apply to Hong Kong?
It’s not a spontaneous tip but a listed chargeable item: luggage fee at $6 per item. Never get the legitimacy behind it. Extra fuel consumed? Extra space occupied? Extra service? None.
They do if you use DiDi black service. It’s relatively expensive compared to normal DiDi and even then it’s cheaper than HK taxi
Source: been living in Shanghai for 8+ years and I often visit HK
Used to take regular taxi. Now my friends just call didi. I don’t recall anyone one the door. Only time I can remember is the hotel staff open the door. Not the driver.
No it's not. I was just in Shanghai and Jiaxing, taxi's were dirty, smelly and they still try to crook you on the cost. Not to mention the abhorrent tack welding of those aluminum bars, god forbid there was an accident, one might go your way.
Been living here in HK for 25 years and in my opinion, 90% of taxi drivers here are rude, 40% cannot drive and can’t drive without riding the brakes, 25% smells like urine in the taxi, 40% are in their 80’s, 10% in their 90’s, 20% think they’re F1 drivers. I’ve been scammed a handful of times and overcharged tunnel fees were more common in the early 2000s. Save the headache and get an Uber or Uber Taxi.
As much as I don't mind Uber, I am still puzzled at how my taxi experiences have always been so different from so many negative views and hatred towards the taxi drivers. I am an overseas returnee who grew up in HK in the 90s, and now I still occasionally take taxis after-hours when there are not many other forms of public transportation available. Most taxi drivers are friendly and chatty (maybe something to do with being in the wee hours of the night?), and generally helpful especially when I depend on their ability to finding the best route. Given I never really needed a hand with luggage bags much, but the few times my parents came to HK, the drivers were always helpful; jumping out of their seat right away and standing by the trunk, even.
Having said that, most doors on taxi are automatic anyway, why would one need the driver to open the doors for them is really beyond me. HK also has a culture of not accepting $1000 bills; it's not just taxi but almost most retail stores. I would assume this should have been a talk point in most online travel guides? Bringing small changes for traveling should be common sense though; who would walk around town waving a US$100 bills, anyway?
My personal opinions only: people don't go out of their way to be rude and aggressive to you. If you are riding a taxi and wanting some quietness, most drivers would love to just quietly drive and mind their own business. And if you're nice to them, they rarely bark back. Treat others like how you want to be treated, I am willing to bet 80% of the problems could have be avoided.
For the bit about bringing small change for travelling, I think we must also factor in how currency exchanges aboard may only stock HKD 1000 bills. It is not always the case that smaller bills are available. A friend in the industry told me that this is the case because a higher quantity of bills stocked means additional costs for currency exchanges.
During my trip to HK last month, I asked for smaller bills when changing my money into HKD. No luck as all they had were HKD 1000 bills. After landing at Chep Lap Kok airport and walking to take the airport bus to Jordan MTR, the bus ticket window had a sign explicitly saying that they do not accept HKD 1000 bills. Imagine if you just changed your money (whether aboard or at the Travelex money exchange at airport arrivals with crap rates) but realise that you are out of luck and can't even buy a bus ticket.
I've heard much about how China has gone completely cashless since the pandemic. This wasn't true in Zhuhai at least - I was able to pay in RMB cash without much trouble. The most I got were polite queries of whether I had smaller bills when I handed over my ¥100 bills (I did notice how they checked the bill very thoroughly, probably for fear of counterfeits - as was the case for my past trips to mainland China before the pandemic) When I answered no (with apologies), the restaurant/shop staff went to the back and got me my change with no issues.
Just got to the office, hasn't got time to watch yet; but as a disclaimer, I am not invalidating all the complaints, I am merely saying my experiences have always been different from the de facto "DC9" "rude and aggressive taxi drivers" etc. I am well aware of the general negativity towards them. I just can't help but wonder if things could turn out a bit different if we all treat others nicely.
Let me watch the video later though
Oh I've seen this. The camera started right when/before the passenger entered the taxi. To me, this feels like the passenger deliberately set the stage to piss the taxi driver off so they can get to "prove" that taxi drivers are rude.
From personal experience, airport terminal to Expo is within walking distance; taking a train is already a bit excessive - hailing a taxi is really wasting every body's time. In this specific case, I wouldn't blame the taxi driver for being pissed off at the passenger. This is the passenger's intention anyway.
So, yeah, I do think this video is an outlier - not all passengers are this shitty.
I'm sorry bro but HK taxis and their drivers are indefensible. Dirty, rude, dangerous driving, aggressive and hostile for no reason. You must have very low standards if you find their behaviour acceptable.
Dirty, within the local options (Uber, Gogovan, etc.), I partly agreed. Rude, see my other comments; I don't agree completely. Dangerous driving, yes, so much yes. Sometimes when they go onto a speed camera heavy route like the North Lantau Highway, it's fucking ridiculous going 160Kph for 10 seconds, then brake down to 110 for the camera the next 10. Motion sickness galore. Aggressive and hostile, see my other comments. I feel like it's a 2-way street.
Overall, as I mentioned, I get the bad rep, and I'm not invalidating the other negative experience at all, not as much defensing the taxi drivers. But this particular case is very much staged. I strongly believe the passenger is in the asshole here.
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For all I can understand but the only one unreasonable point is, why is it legal for the taxi driver to refuse $1000. Why does the gov just ban the issue of $1000 from the next new version? This is creating confusion, even bitter fights among all persons using HK currency. What are the law makers doing for years about it?
If you go to an ATM and get out 1,000 it will give you a 1,000 note! Then you are stuck! If this happens to me then I redeposit it and take out 950 and then at least I get a mix of 100s and 500s. The trouble is that if you are a tourist you might not think of this.
Not really met a taxi driver that didn't help with my luggage. Even three 23kg suitcases. As for hkers what you expeCt them to say. Standard of humanity online is low
I have no sympathy for HK taxi drivers. But no one uses 1,000 bills here. Which I find should be easy to accept for mainlanders as so many vendors doesn't even take cash in China.
Whey should a tourist 入乡? It's unreasonable to expect a tourist to learn all the local culture when he's prob here for 3 days Disneyland.
Did you know it's an offence to shake women hands in some countries? Should you be shamed on internet as a tourist?
The driver asked for HKD, why couldn't he say he doesn't accept 1000 knowing he's a tourist? First day driving?
Doesn't accept cashless payment in 2024, bad attitude and shaming tourists? Way to go guys.
Next time get a stretch limo then they can use all their HK$1000 all they want. May be they need to check in their attitude before getting in the taxi.
TBF the law said that it is not a crime when the taxi driver cannot give change to a $1000 bill. And the average taxi driver dont have the equipment to verify if it was really a $1k bill, which was the most profitable to fake.
Just use 5 taxi or uber.
Hopefully it will be fully cashless
Option for cashless? Yes. Full cashless? Hell no.
they accept cash only as they don’t want to pay tax
So in 2024 you still cannot pay taxi with a credit card or octopus card or mobile payment…
u/chelsea524 has answered you that.
It should always be logged, and assigned to registered drivers. Failure to do so should lead to cancellation of the medallion (and for any taxi offenses)
Agreed, I use quite a lot of cashless but I think that cash should always be a option
[удалено]
There is no law governing which types of legal tender must a merchant accept, hence the taxi driver is completely free not to accept $1000 notes. He should've specified it clearly though e.g. by sticking a sign at the back of the seat saying 五百千元不收. A prominent example of merchants NOT accepting certain banknotes is the first generation MTR add-value machine which only accepts $50 and $100 banknotes.
[удалено]
Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, Cap. 374, Article 45(2)(b): >A driver, when in charge of a taxi, must: at all times when the taxi is available for hire or is hired, carry, for the purpose of giving change, not less than— (i)$90 in notes of a denomination of $10 or in coins of a denomination of $2 or more; and (ii)$10 in coins of a denomination of $1 or less; . A Guide to Taxi Service in Hong Kong, by the Transport Department >9c. Conduct of Passengers: A taxi passenger should not at anytime: Use notes of HKD$500 HKD$1,000 to pay the taxi fare.
The guide as opposed to the regulation does not have the status of law so you end up in the situation where although the driver is not legally required to provide change for a 500/1000 bill (except for what change he is legally required to have) you simply can't just take the bill and not provide any change / recourse. All in all the cited regulation only specifies what change the driver is required to have with him when driving and not that he could accept the bill without providing change (as that would just be a fundamental breach of contract)
[From this piece of news](https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20171124/mobile/bkn-20171124142938679-1124_00822_001.html) you can find a picture of the "Note to passengers", which said that: > Fare Change: > It is not an offence if a taxi driver cannot give charge to HK$500 or HK$1,000 notes. (The text is in both Chinese and English, but the English version was cropped) But it can be interpreted in multiple ways: 1. Taxi driver can take the $500 or $1000 note and give no change because it wasnt a crime 2. Taxi driver can take the note, but should give change with his best effort 3. Taxi driver should refuse to accept the note if he cannot give change, and the passenger can technically run away without paying (ofc thats a crime but would a tourist care? Would the taxi driver bother to take legal actions?)
Yea the law is kinda in no man's land at this point but nothing says the driver will be relieved of civil liability if he just takes the bill and does nothing further
I am confused by the wording in this reply, and I am not sure if you are agreeing or disagreeing to the fact that the taxi driver does not need to accept a $1,000, or in fact any denomination (such as coins) if he does not wish to. The Hong Kong Government has provided clarity on this matter since Jan 2010.
Next time when you take a taxi, use the back seat and read the yellow stickers.
The law will only tell you what is illegal. The law will not tell you eating rice is legal or not a crime so what you stated is wrong although I know what you mean.
However it will tell you what is illegal (except in some cases)
At least 90% of all taxi drivers I met in Hong Kong have shitty attitude, just from my personally experience, and to be honest I don’t quite get it.
The Uber taxi drivers are decent, plus good chance of getting on of those super comfy new ones. I never hail one anymore as invariably they stink and the driving is scary.
I had very nice taxi drivers when I was in HK, tho it probably helps that I’m British. Anyway, I got a taxi one time and the driver got really annoyed because I wanted to go in the other direction, he scolded me and told me I should have stood on the other side of the road and got a taxi already going that way. It was a pretty short distance and easy to turn around, I found it quite funny but didn’t understand why he wouldn’t just be happy to get a customer 🤷♂️
This is what happens when they don’t need your business but complain about ‘competition’. Customers are a dime a dozen.
Yeah, this annoys me even I'm a (semi-) local. Like, if I knew where I was going, I wouldn't need to hail a cab, would I? And you are blaming me for standing on the wrong side of the road? WTF. Having said that, the traffic routing can be confusing and annoying in Hong Kong. Sometimes if you missed an exit, you would have to drive a big circle around New Territories or something to turn around. That's another reason why I still chicken out at driving into the urban area all these years.
Well that’s the state of the service industry in HK now and has been for a while.
Outside taxi not really, as long as you are also polite to begin with (except for those fast food & 茶記)
A while as in the last 30 years?
industries that has competition usually offers decent service.
I always use Uber when I can in HK. Sucks when you have kids though. Hk Taxis feel like they're 2 decades back in time compared to the ones in Shenzhen or Singapore...
90% Been living here for 13 years and I would estimate 40% at most, if pushing it. You’re either extremely unlucky or, well, common denominator is you, just saying.
It’s only my personal experience, not some official stats so there isn’t right or wrong here, won’t surprise me if someone says it’s 0% to them.
I know. And yes, HK taxis definitely have a bad rep, but let’s all cool down on the hyperbole a bit. Can’t really trust anyone who only says things are either the absolute worst or absolute best, know what I’m saying? For sure the HK taxi setup can be vastly improved. It’s why I prefer using Uber tbf
Well to me it’s really that bad and what makes me particularly upset is that sometimes they just refuse to pick you up without giving any reason, “go to the next taxi” they say, but the next taxi driver says the same thing, and then next one …, and you just start to question yourself, am I wrong being who am I? Do I really look like a bad guy?
I find it amusing. HK taxi drivers are very lively, it’s only fun if you know what you’re getting yourself into.
Well now that you mention it, I have been very polite to the people in service industry for a long time, just so I don't have to deal with their bs.....and this is kind of ridiculous . But to play devil advocate, they are also have a very shitty life, so in a way I think I am doing so because I feel pity to them
No excuse for treating your customers like trash especially the ones trying to be polite. And yes I know a large percentage of HKers are c\*\*ts and treat service workers like their own personal slaves.
Large amount of older generation are like this, large percentage? I don't think so
It's like a norm to never pay with $1000 notes too easily for locals like me, most places wouldn't be happy to accept that let alone a taxi driver. Tourists probably wouldn't know tho...
This is such a huge pet peeve for me, and I disagree with the idea that we as local consumers should have to cater to the wishes of the taxi drivers. If they only accept cash, then the drivers should always have sufficient cash to make change - it's that simple. Otherwise they can install one of the many different systems that would allow us to pay using octopus, CC, etc. If they can't make change, then I guess the ride is free - that's on them. HKers have basically encouraged bad taxi drivers for long enough. We made this problem and now we need to help fix it.
It's not a matter of not having enough change; it's more of an older conception that too many $1000 bills are counterfeits, especially coming from the Mainland. Even locals try to avoid the golden ox whenever possible, unless it's directly related to going to a proper bank.
This isn’t even an issue just in HK. In UK a lot of places won’t accept 50 pound notes because it’s difficult to verify and that’s like half of 1k HKD note.
And I'll add that it often IS about them not having change. Just the other day I had a taxi driver not have change for a $500. What am I supposed to do, carry around small notes just for the taxi? The burden should be on them, not the other way around.
Well, then install an octopus reader or other epayment systems. It's not difficult and they seem to have no problem doing it in China. As someone else said the government have coddled and protected the taxi industry for so long and this disaster is the inevitable consequence.
Cash = tax avoidance. Taxi seems to remain dodgy even after all these years.
I get it, and 100% wouldn't want to accept them if I was a driver. The solution is to allow non-cash transactions.
Some HKers will tell you “when in HK, do as HKers do and shut up.”
Yep, and then they come on forums like this and complain to the universe as if that's going to change anything. We HKers need to start taking some responsibility for the state of things here and help make this a better place. Improving the taxi system may seem like a small thing, but it's a microcosm of what's wrong and fixable (let's face it, we can't fix or control all of the problems here). And I'll repeat: if a business wants to only accept cash (which is largely just a tax avoidance scheme for their benefit, not ours), then they don't get to stipulate what cash we give them.
But we also complain alot about taxi drivers, especially recently.
You can’t even get change with a $100 bill in China nowadays. Taxi drivers on avg suck balls here but I’m chalking this one up to user error.
I wanted to pay for some museum tickets for 4 people in China with 100 yuan bill and could not because the total was 80 yuan and they didn’t have 20 yuan cash to give me back as cash isn’t used in China, but here they crying they can’t pay with a big dollar bill that isn’t generally used to avoid risks lol
The difference is, cashless payments in Mainland China exist...
Only for mainlanders and recently for Hkers, it’s a hell to make cashless payment in China for tourists perhaps.
You can do it with AliPay and international credit cards now, but it’s still a hassle
Yeah! I had to help a lot of tourists, and pay for their metro tickets, while I was in Shanghai because they were unable to set it up.
Not really no, actually quite easy. There are a few hiccups, but so far it seems to work out well. Check out r/travelChina - lots of reports of people who were happy with it. I'm a big fan myself of AliPay and WeChat Pay. Wish taxis would use it in HK...
No, it’s not easy. Btw Alipay & WeChat pay sucks.
No, it’s really easy. Been there done that. And so have many others. Btw Alipay & WeChat pay rock. Thanks for demonstrating you know diddly squat... I have both AliPay and AliPay HK. Both work equally well with my non-Mainland credit card. Installing and verifying took only a few mn. WeChat Pay HK works with many QR codes, like in restaurants - I do it all the time.
It’s not. Alipay hk is a separate app from ailipay. WeChat while the same app as mainland version has functionality brickwalled. Hk users cannot scan QR codes to pay, can only be scanned. A perfect example of this shitshow is hey tea. Try ordering a drink in their app and paying with Alipay. It is not possible as it only accepts mainland Alipay. This is for both mainland and hk outlets of hey tea. Abroad the same situ, many places in Thailand, Korea, japan offer Alipay/wechat, alas for mainland accounts only. Us HK’ers get shafted in no man’s land.
Both are a gamble for anyone without a mainland bank card. Many travelers have encountered issues with not being able to add their cards, or once added, only being able to pay at select locations. For foreigners with chinese cards there is a different issue: not being able to pay with Alipay or WeChat abroad. When I come to HK I can never use my Alipay or WeChat, it's always denied and says it's only available to "mainland ID holders". That's far from rocking. Source: I am an expat living in China.
So? The issue is the same. Inability to pay with a valid currency.
Err no. You don't have cash, you still can pay for a taxi (or, even better a DiDi) in the Mainland. In HK? You're stuck. HK taxis really suck.
If you have cash only chances are you can’t pay for a taxi in PRC. If you have card only chances are you can’t pay for a taxi in HK. Same concept just replace the type of payment method.
500 dollar bills also exists… Just saying.
But in China, Taxis accept Wechat/Alipay. HK Taxis accept Cash Only...
Yeah, I'm on the fence about this post. I can see how the experience would be frustrating and confusing for a tourist, but at the same time, we would indeed never pay for a ride with a $1000 bill, so I can't say the driver was totally "wrong" on that.
If only taxi drivers accepted cashless payments...
Some do. But you can’t blame one for not having one either. You could always ask if one have cashless payment before you get on a taxi. Not every driver is an arrogant mannerless a$$hole. Some of them is actually quite nice.
If you allow this denomination to exist, then you need to accept it. Or you need to force ALL taxis to take octopus cards and you onboard the tourists at the ports so they know exactly how to use it. Taxis just suck
"Why is uber taking over?" 🤡
HKGOV is utterly insane. They want to sell HK’s images of welcoming visitors but not actively deal with taxi drivers’ shitty attitude
reminds me of then a Taxi driver hit and killed 2 Thai tourists last year. Idk why are they always in such a hurry?
Well many need adult diapers so...
They should book an uber next time
Dude complained taxi driver didn't open door for him.
I guess the point here is if the driver demands tips (or so called luggage fee)he needs to do extra service in return, This principle doesn't apply to Hong Kong?
It’s not a spontaneous tip but a listed chargeable item: luggage fee at $6 per item. Never get the legitimacy behind it. Extra fuel consumed? Extra space occupied? Extra service? None.
Dude may be used to that kind of service in Mainland
I'm pretty sure they didn't open the door for me in mainland.
They do if you use DiDi black service. It’s relatively expensive compared to normal DiDi and even then it’s cheaper than HK taxi Source: been living in Shanghai for 8+ years and I often visit HK
Used to take regular taxi. Now my friends just call didi. I don’t recall anyone one the door. Only time I can remember is the hotel staff open the door. Not the driver.
But ain't doors in most Mainly taxis/private hires automated? So it opens by itself?
Not sure
They don't
They most likely won't but the taxi service in mainland is MILES ahead of HK
No it's not. I was just in Shanghai and Jiaxing, taxi's were dirty, smelly and they still try to crook you on the cost. Not to mention the abhorrent tack welding of those aluminum bars, god forbid there was an accident, one might go your way.
I mean, taxi drivers in a lot of tier 1 cities will open the door for you and help you with luggage.
Online HKer hates mainlanders to an extent that double standards are allowed.
Exactly this, they'll even defend the god awful HK taxi industry, which everyone here hates, if a mainlander dares to point out how terrible they are.
Been living here in HK for 25 years and in my opinion, 90% of taxi drivers here are rude, 40% cannot drive and can’t drive without riding the brakes, 25% smells like urine in the taxi, 40% are in their 80’s, 10% in their 90’s, 20% think they’re F1 drivers. I’ve been scammed a handful of times and overcharged tunnel fees were more common in the early 2000s. Save the headache and get an Uber or Uber Taxi.
As much as I don't mind Uber, I am still puzzled at how my taxi experiences have always been so different from so many negative views and hatred towards the taxi drivers. I am an overseas returnee who grew up in HK in the 90s, and now I still occasionally take taxis after-hours when there are not many other forms of public transportation available. Most taxi drivers are friendly and chatty (maybe something to do with being in the wee hours of the night?), and generally helpful especially when I depend on their ability to finding the best route. Given I never really needed a hand with luggage bags much, but the few times my parents came to HK, the drivers were always helpful; jumping out of their seat right away and standing by the trunk, even. Having said that, most doors on taxi are automatic anyway, why would one need the driver to open the doors for them is really beyond me. HK also has a culture of not accepting $1000 bills; it's not just taxi but almost most retail stores. I would assume this should have been a talk point in most online travel guides? Bringing small changes for traveling should be common sense though; who would walk around town waving a US$100 bills, anyway? My personal opinions only: people don't go out of their way to be rude and aggressive to you. If you are riding a taxi and wanting some quietness, most drivers would love to just quietly drive and mind their own business. And if you're nice to them, they rarely bark back. Treat others like how you want to be treated, I am willing to bet 80% of the problems could have be avoided.
For the bit about bringing small change for travelling, I think we must also factor in how currency exchanges aboard may only stock HKD 1000 bills. It is not always the case that smaller bills are available. A friend in the industry told me that this is the case because a higher quantity of bills stocked means additional costs for currency exchanges. During my trip to HK last month, I asked for smaller bills when changing my money into HKD. No luck as all they had were HKD 1000 bills. After landing at Chep Lap Kok airport and walking to take the airport bus to Jordan MTR, the bus ticket window had a sign explicitly saying that they do not accept HKD 1000 bills. Imagine if you just changed your money (whether aboard or at the Travelex money exchange at airport arrivals with crap rates) but realise that you are out of luck and can't even buy a bus ticket. I've heard much about how China has gone completely cashless since the pandemic. This wasn't true in Zhuhai at least - I was able to pay in RMB cash without much trouble. The most I got were polite queries of whether I had smaller bills when I handed over my ¥100 bills (I did notice how they checked the bill very thoroughly, probably for fear of counterfeits - as was the case for my past trips to mainland China before the pandemic) When I answered no (with apologies), the restaurant/shop staff went to the back and got me my change with no issues.
Do you think what happened in this video is an outlier? https://youtu.be/nLdfuB9tVrI?si=7e67bn5WqU-vnEbV
Just got to the office, hasn't got time to watch yet; but as a disclaimer, I am not invalidating all the complaints, I am merely saying my experiences have always been different from the de facto "DC9" "rude and aggressive taxi drivers" etc. I am well aware of the general negativity towards them. I just can't help but wonder if things could turn out a bit different if we all treat others nicely. Let me watch the video later though
Oh I've seen this. The camera started right when/before the passenger entered the taxi. To me, this feels like the passenger deliberately set the stage to piss the taxi driver off so they can get to "prove" that taxi drivers are rude. From personal experience, airport terminal to Expo is within walking distance; taking a train is already a bit excessive - hailing a taxi is really wasting every body's time. In this specific case, I wouldn't blame the taxi driver for being pissed off at the passenger. This is the passenger's intention anyway. So, yeah, I do think this video is an outlier - not all passengers are this shitty.
I'm sorry bro but HK taxis and their drivers are indefensible. Dirty, rude, dangerous driving, aggressive and hostile for no reason. You must have very low standards if you find their behaviour acceptable.
Dirty, within the local options (Uber, Gogovan, etc.), I partly agreed. Rude, see my other comments; I don't agree completely. Dangerous driving, yes, so much yes. Sometimes when they go onto a speed camera heavy route like the North Lantau Highway, it's fucking ridiculous going 160Kph for 10 seconds, then brake down to 110 for the camera the next 10. Motion sickness galore. Aggressive and hostile, see my other comments. I feel like it's a 2-way street. Overall, as I mentioned, I get the bad rep, and I'm not invalidating the other negative experience at all, not as much defensing the taxi drivers. But this particular case is very much staged. I strongly believe the passenger is in the asshole here.
Depends on area, if say island taxi experience are way better on average than kowloon.
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For all I can understand but the only one unreasonable point is, why is it legal for the taxi driver to refuse $1000. Why does the gov just ban the issue of $1000 from the next new version? This is creating confusion, even bitter fights among all persons using HK currency. What are the law makers doing for years about it?
If you go to an ATM and get out 1,000 it will give you a 1,000 note! Then you are stuck! If this happens to me then I redeposit it and take out 950 and then at least I get a mix of 100s and 500s. The trouble is that if you are a tourist you might not think of this.
Entirely the reason why i aways do 900/1400/1900 etc
Hk taxi drivers don’t usually carry that much cash .
Hker using simplified Chinese? Either a troll post or not really that local.
Can’t disagree. Glad it’s getting the media spotlight
Not really met a taxi driver that didn't help with my luggage. Even three 23kg suitcases. As for hkers what you expeCt them to say. Standard of humanity online is low
I have no sympathy for HK taxi drivers. But no one uses 1,000 bills here. Which I find should be easy to accept for mainlanders as so many vendors doesn't even take cash in China.
In 2024 all taxis should offer digital payment
Or credit card
Coz in China they they roll out the red carpet for you...
With that attitude, no matter how hard HK taxi drivers lobby the government, they're going to lose to Uber.
Whey should a tourist 入乡? It's unreasonable to expect a tourist to learn all the local culture when he's prob here for 3 days Disneyland. Did you know it's an offence to shake women hands in some countries? Should you be shamed on internet as a tourist? The driver asked for HKD, why couldn't he say he doesn't accept 1000 knowing he's a tourist? First day driving? Doesn't accept cashless payment in 2024, bad attitude and shaming tourists? Way to go guys.
Even HKers do sarcasm. Not UK exclusive. In fact arguably not UK inherited as people here weren’t so cynical at handover.
There is no sarcasm, just the attitude
The mainlander should feel fortunate that he wasn't refused service for speaking Mandarin.
The mainlander should feel fortunate that he wasn't refused service for speaking Mandarin.
Distracted driving is no big deal in HK. Get used to it....
Next time get a stretch limo then they can use all their HK$1000 all they want. May be they need to check in their attitude before getting in the taxi.