Following is a question by the Hon Chan Pui-leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, in the Legislative Council today (March 22):
Question:
The Government, together with the taxi trade, set up a designated fleet of taxis (commonly known as "anti-epidemic taxis") during the fifth wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 epidemic to provide confirmed patients with relatively mild symptoms with free transport services to and from designated clinics. In light of the easing of the epidemic situation, anti-epidemic taxis ceased to provide service on 14 January this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information during the operation period of anti-epidemic taxis: the number of anti-epidemic taxis, the number of person-times of patients carried, and the relevant expenditure of the Government;
(2) of the respective numbers of taxi operators and self-employed taxi drivers whose applications for the operation of anti-epidemic taxis were received and approved by the Government; the criteria based on which the Government vetted and approved such applications;
(3) whether it has compiled statistics on the total number of anti-epidemic taxi drivers who were confirmed to have been infected at work, and what measures the Government put in place to assist in the continuous operation of anti-epidemic taxis during the period when their drivers were confirmed patients;
(4) as it has been reported that some anti-epidemic taxi drivers have not yet received the relevant subsidies disbursed by the Government, of the follow-up work of the Government; and
(5) whether it has assessed the effectiveness of anti-epidemic taxis; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it will re-launch such service in case of changes in the epidemic situation?
Reply:
President,
Having consulted the Health Bureau, our reply to Hon Chan Pui-leung’s question is as follows:
The designated taxi fleet (designated fleet) set up by the Government and the taxi industry had commenced operation since February 18, 2022 to provide COVID-19 patients with free transport services between their residences and the designated clinics of the Hospital Authority, private hospitals or other medical/ isolation facilities. Following the relaxation of various anti-epidemic measures, the designated fleet services ceased to operate on January 14, 2023.
(1) The designated fleet had completed over 378 000 trips from February 18, 2022 to January 13, 2023, with more than 1 300 taxis participating in the services. The total expenditure involved was about $271 million.
(2) Having regard to the need to organise the designated fleet services within a very short period of time, as well as the relevant service requirement and actual operational need, the Government arranged for a number of larger taxi operators in the trade with experience in fleet management to participate in the designated fleet services. Over 1 300 taxi drivers were recruited directly from the trade as fleet drivers by the participating operators.
(3) According to the information provided by the designated fleet operators, a total of 108 confirmed cases of taxi drivers were reported during the operation of the designated fleet. During the period when the drivers were tested positive of COVID-19, the relevant operators had immediately arranged other drivers to drive the designated fleet taxis and had kept in touch with the Transport Department (TD), so as to ensure that there were sufficient designated fleet taxis to cater for the demand of the infected persons.
(4) The TD had finished vetting the operational records provided by the designated fleet operators and had disbursed all subsidies to them. Subsidies for the designated fleet drivers were disbursed by the operators.
The TD has earlier received enquiries and complaints from individual designated fleet drivers on the disbursement of subsidies. The TD contacted the operators concerned and learnt that the operators had disbursed the subsidy to the concerned taxi drivers.
(5) The designated fleet provided free, safe and reliable point-to-point transport services for infected persons between their residences and the designated clinics of the Hospital Authority, private hospitals or other medical/ isolation facilities, thereby helping to reduce the public health risks when the infected persons went out to seek medical consultation. The operation of the designated fleet was generally smooth during its service.
Having regard to changes in the epidemic situation and the prevailing epidemic prevention and control strategy, the Government will take appropriate anti-epidemic measures in a timely manner to safeguard public health.
Ends/Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Issued at HKT 16:22