Taxis of Hong Kong

Taxis here in Hong Kong are a bit lower compared with most other 'world cities'. The starting charge is either HK$13.5 - US$1.7 (rural) or HK$18 - US$2.3 (urban) while every 200 metres and 1 minute waiting time afterwards is HK$1.2 or $1.5. With well over 18,000 taxis (divided into urban, rural, and Lantau [airport] taxis), it's quite easy to hail a taxi except during rush (or peak as it is known to Hongkongers) hour where everything is at capacity.


The 'airport route' as it is known to drivers, is the most popular as well as most expensive with a fare of around HK$400 (lots of tunnels [and return fee for driver]+Tsing Ma Bridge fee+distance fee). Luckily, most of the drivers on the airport route know english as well as putonghua (mandarin). If you tend to go somewhere, you should keep a map (both chinese and english) and point to your destination just to play it safe.

The taxis here are quite new and one of the most environmentally-friendly and cleanest ones in the world. Built by Toyota, they run on LPG and seat up to 5 (excluding the driver). Unfortunately, future plans of Hong Kong taxis include reducing seats due to vehicle emission standards set by Toyota Japan.