A man who went missing in Lantau North has been located.
Siu San-chun, aged 56, went missing after he was last seen at a unit in Yuet Yat House, Yat Tung (II) Estate on June 28 night. His family made a report to Police on July 2.
The man turned up at police station to cancel the missing person report yesterday (July 30). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.
The Government announced today (July 31) that the assessment panel formed by representatives from the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the Transport Department (TD) has completed the assessment of Taxi Fleet Licence applications. The five applicants awarded with Taxi Fleet Licences, in alphabetical order of the company names, are Big Boss Taxi Company Limited, CMG Fleet Management Limited, Sino Development (International) Company Limited, SynCab Service Limited and Tai Wo Management Limited.
The TD received a total of 15 applications during the application period, three of which did not meet the application requirements. After assessing the 12 applications that met the requirements, the above five applicants obtaining the highest scores were selected by the assessment panel. Conditional grants of the Taxi Fleet Licence were issued to them accordingly, and they are required to complete the gearing-up work and commence services within one year. By that time, each taxi fleet will be issued with a Taxi Fleet Licence with a validity period of five years. The TD will actively promote and assist the taxi fleet operators to commence operations as soon as possible.
Number and vehicle type of fleet taxis
The selected applicants include three urban fleets and two mixed fleets, with a fleet size of 300 to 1 000 taxis each, providing a total of over 3 500 taxis, which account for nearly 20 per cent of the total number of taxis in Hong Kong.
The selected applicants will deploy about 1 500 new vehicles in total as fleet taxis at the time of service commencement, accounting for over 40 per cent of the total number of fleet taxis. The vehicle age of the remaining fleet taxis will not exceed three years. A certain number of wheelchair-accessible taxis and premium taxis, as well as electric taxis of more than one-fourth of the fleet, will be put into service in phases for each taxi fleet to cater for the diverse travel needs of individuals and promote green transport.
Driver and vehicle monitoring
To ensure the service quality of drivers and driving safety, the selected applicants will provide appropriate training to fleet drivers and formulate measures to monitor the driving behaviour and service performance of the drivers. They will also maintain an employer-employee relationship with a certain number of drivers in their fleets to enhance the stability of the fleet driver group and create a better working environment. Meanwhile, safety devices, including the Global Positioning System, dash camera, and driver monitoring system (equipped with functions including lane departure and improper driving behaviour detection), will be installed inside the vehicle to ensure driving safety.
Customer service and fleet dispatch arrangement
All taxi fleets will provide online hailing services. Members of the public can choose appropriate vehicle types (such as general taxis, premium taxis, wheelchair-accessible taxis) through the online hailing platforms (such as mobile applications and websites) provided by the taxi fleets according to their personal needs. All fleet taxis will provide multiple electronic payment means for passengers' convenience. In addition, all taxi fleets will provide customer service hotlines and different electronic communication channels for passengers to rate driver services. A complaint handling mechanism will be provided to handle customer enquiries and complaints in a timely manner.
A Government spokesman said, "We are encouraged to see the trade's active participation in the Taxi Fleet Licence applications. The taxi fleets proposed by different selected applicants have their respective characteristics and highlights. The selected applicants are not only traditional taxi operators, but also groups formed by taxi operators and taxi driver associations or other members of the transport sector. We look forward to their new ideas to the taxi fleets with their rich experience in operating public transport services.
"In addition, we are pleased to see that the selected applicants attach great importance to passenger safety and quality services, and expect they would set a good example for the taxi fleet regime. By playing an exemplary and leading role in the trade, the taxi fleets can help boost passengers' confidence in the taxi services, thereby gradually improving the development prospect for the trade."
The application period of the Taxi Fleet Licence was from April 12 to May 31. The assessment panel selected the five applicants with the highest score based on criteria comprising management capability of applicant, vehicle quality and safety-related equipment/devices, management and quality of fleet drivers, service level and customer service, online hailing and fleet dispatch plan, as well as daily operation, maintenance and contingency plan.
The Government Property Agency (GPA) is inviting tenders for a three-year licence of a fee-paying public car park on portions of the Ground Floor, Basement 1, Basement 2 and Basement 3 of Shatin Government Offices, 1 Sheung Wo Che Road, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
The premises should only be used for the purpose of a fee-paying public car park for the parking of private cars and motorcycles.
The tender notice was uploaded today (July 31) to the GPA Property Portal: www.gpaproperty.gov.hk/en/index.html. Tender documents are available for collection at the Government Property Agency, 9/F, South Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, during the period from 9am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, except public holidays. The documents can also be downloaded from the GPA Property Portal.
Interested tenderers who wish to attend a site inspection of the premises should make a prior appointment with the GPA by calling 3842 6783 on or before August 8.
Tenderers must submit their tenders by placing them in the Government Logistics Department Tender Box situated on the Ground Floor, North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong, before noon on August 22. Late tenders will not be accepted.
Hong Kong Customs on July 15 seized about 6 300 suspected counterfeit goods and about 5 000 suspected alternative smoking products at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal Customs Cargo Examination Compound. The total estimated market value was about $1.2 million.
Through risk assessment, Customs on that day inspected a 40-foot container, declared as carrying life jackets, lifebuoys and mobile phone cases arriving in Hong Kong from Nansha, Guangdong. After inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected counterfeit goods, including clothing, footwear and handbags, with the batch of suspected alternative smoking products inside the container.
An initial investigation revealed that the batch of suspected counterfeit goods and suspected alternative smoking products would be transhipped to overseas regions.
The investigation is ongoing.
Customs will continue to strengthen co-operation with the Mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies and take stringent enforcement action against cross-boundary counterfeit goods activities and smuggling of alternative smoking products.
Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports any goods to which a forged trade mark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person who imports an alternative smoking product, including electronic cigarette products, heated tobacco products, herbal cigarettes and any related devices, parts and accessories, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violation of the above-mentioned Ordinances to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Attention TV/radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (July 31) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Hung Shing Yeh Beach and Pui O Beach in Islands District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.