This photo taken on Jan 31, 2024 shows Hong Kong's first smart taxi meter in a new energy taxi. (ZHANG TIANYUAN / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong unveiled its first homegrown smart taxi meter on Wednesday, which offers electronic receipts and simplifies fare calculation, as part of the efforts to improve the city’s taxi service quality. 

Dubbed CabCab, the city’s pioneering intelligent taxi fare meters are officially endorsed by the HKSAR government and are set to be installed in 100 taxis across the New Territories and downtown areas as part of a pilot program. The aim is to equip  1,000 taxis  with the smart meters by the third quarter. 

The digital meter, which provides electronic receipts, streamlines fare calculations for taxi drivers when accounting for toll tunnels, roads, areas, or other additional service charges. 

The taxi meter features a five-inch color touchscreen and provides fare prompts in Cantonese, English, and Mandarin

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By clicking the buttons of the relevant fees on the CabCab system, which automatically calculates the total fare, it reduces the risk of human error that can occur with manual calculation. 

The installation features a five-inch color touchscreen and provides fare prompts in Cantonese, English, and Mandarin. “Following the launch, a variety of payment methods such as Octopus cards, Alipay, UnionPay and Apple Pay will be incorporated in the meter in the second quarter,” said Sam Hui Kin-sang, CEO of CabCab. 

Hui said the first batch of smart meters will be installed in 100 BYD new energy taxis, with plans to gradually retrofit other taxi models, replacing the old meters.

(From left) Lawrence Cheung Chi-chong, CEO of Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Center; Wong Yu-ting, managing director of CabCab and chairman of the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association; Frankie Yick Chi-ming, Legislative Council member; Sam Hui Kin-sang, CEO of CabCab; and Andrew Lo Chun-kit, chairman and CEO of EFT Solutions, holding promotional boards, pose for a group photo after a press conference introducing Hong Kong's first smart taxi meter in Hong Kong, on Jan 31, 2024. (ZHANG TIANYUAN / CHINA DAILY)

Andrew Lo Chun-kit, chairman and CEO of EFT Solutions, said the system costs over HK$10 million ($1.28 million). By collecting data for analysis, he said CabCab can also help drivers identify areas with high passenger demand, enabling more effective distribution and increasing opportunities for drivers to pick up passengers. 

“Initially, the smart meter will be provided at no cost to drivers or passengers; however, future expenses will be recovered through a service fee charged to passengers by drivers,” Lo noted, although the start date for these fees has not been disclosed.

“Incentives will be provided to encourage drivers to install the system,” said Wong Yu-ting, managing director of CabCab and chairman of the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association.

Wong acknowledged that over half of the tourists visiting Hong Kong come from the Chinese mainland with a preference for e-payment, and “overseas tourists do not necessarily carry sufficient Hong Kong dollars. Electronic payments can avoid these issues”.

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Lawrence Cheung Chi-chong, CEO of Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Center, said there are over 18,000 taxis in Hong Kong.  Taxis play a crucial role in promoting the development of green and smart transportation in Hong Kong.

A survey conducted by the Hong Kong Taxi Council last year, polling 1,211 passengers, revealed that “drivers treating passengers politely” received the lowest satisfaction rating. While 55 percent of passengers expressed satisfaction with the taxi industry, 37 percent rated the service as average, and about 8 percent rated the service as “unsatisfactory” or “extremely unsatisfactory”.

Funded by the government-backed Innovation and Technology Fund, the digital cab meter was jointly developed by CabCab — a brand under a local taxi management and operation company Mobile Shop and the Automotive Platforms and Application System R&D Center, with the support of e-payment provider EFT solutions.  

tianyuanzhang@chinadailyhk.com