Official Taxi Fleet Licences to be issued in July to offer quality taxi services to public
The Transport Department (TD) said today (June 27) that official Taxi Fleet Licences are scheduled to be issued to all five taxi fleets in July to enable the fleets to commence services as soon as possible and showcase the quality services provided by the taxi fleets, such that it can build up public confidence in taxi services and mark an important step to enhance service quality and reform the taxi trade.
A spokesman for the TD said, "The TD issued provisional grants of the Taxi Fleet Licence to five selected operators in end-July 2024. All five fleets have now commenced trial operations, and have provided a total of nearly 120,000 trips to date. The public's feedback on the taxi fleet services has been positive. We have, after careful consideration, decided to adopt a flexible licensing approach to provide the public with an early opportunity to experience high-quality taxi fleet services. Taxi fleets are a new mode of operation. Upon the official launch of the fleets, we believe that through a series of promotions, positive feedback from passengers, benefits for fleet drivers, and the gradual evolvement of the trade's image, more passengers will come to know and use the taxi fleet services. This will, in turn, provide fleet drivers with a more favourable and stable income, which will help attract more taxi drivers to join the fleets and gradually enhance the fleets' capacity."
The spokesman continued that issuing official taxi fleet licenses enables the TD to effectively oversee the operations and services of the fleets in accordance with licence conditions and requirements, thereby achieving the objective of enhancing and ensuring service quality through the introduction of the taxi fleet regime.
After obtaining the licences, all five fleet operators can officially use about 80 designated taxi fleet stopping places across 13 locations, such as the airport, certain cross-boundary control points and other tourist hotspots to pick up passengers with pre-booked trips. Signage, information plates, and display panels will be erected at these locations. The TD will also distribute leaflets and display posters featuring QR codes for each taxi fleet's online hailing service to facilitate reservations by the public and tourists. The Government will also promote the taxi fleet services to the public and tourists through various channels, including the TD's HKeMobility mobile application, and the networks of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Airport Authority, and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.
Since July last year, the five selected operators have been conducting gearing-up work with great endeavour, including procuring new vehicles and carrying out modifications, installing in-vehicle safety devices, setting up electronic payment systems, developing and testing online hailing applications and providing training to drivers. Each fleet has also implemented different measures to recruit taxi owners and drivers, such as participating in a one-stop taxi fleet drivers thematic job fair, hosting fleet introduction sessions and recruitment events, organising activities to showcase the new taxi models and providing new fleet management approaches to taxi owners, etc.
The TD has been holding regular meetings with the fleets to actively promote and assist their gearing-up work, while co-ordinating and providing support based on their needs during the preparatory stage. For example, in response to the need of various operators to acquire new models of vehicles for use as fleet taxis, the TD has, on the premise of ensuring road safety, streamlined procedures by introducing batch applications and vehicle examinations, and providing facilitating measures in respect of the vehicle examination arrangements. The TD also opened designated stopping places within the prohibited zones of the two control points on May 30 to facilitate the fleets under trial operation in picking up passengers with pre-booked trips.
After issuing the official Taxi Fleet Licences, the TD will continue to urge fleet operators to proactively recruit taxi owners and drivers in order to achieve the committed fleet size. The TD will also closely monitor the service performances of the fleets to ensure that the service quality meets the public's aspirations.
Official Taxi Fleet Licences to be issued in July to offer quality taxi services to public Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Official Taxi Fleet Licences to be issued in July to offer quality taxi services to public Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Official Taxi Fleet Licences to be issued in July to offer quality taxi services to public Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CFS to follow up certain batches of powdered infant and young children formula with possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 10) said that, it took initiative to meet with Nestlé Hong Kong again today, and confirmed the company's today announcement of an additional batch of powdered infant and young children formula suspected to have possibly used the raw material concerned. Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall. The CFS has collected samples of powdered infant and young children formula from the market for Bacillus cereus testing, the test results so far were satisfactory. The Environmental and Ecology Bureau is also closely monitoring the supply situation of other formula milk powder and maintaining communication with other major suppliers. It is noted that there is sufficient formula milk powder to meet the demand.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), Photo source: reference image
The spokesman said, the CFS has been actively following up on Nestlé company's voluntary and precautionary recalls of certain batches of its powdered infant and young children formula in certain areas in Europe due to possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus in the individual raw material. According to the latest information from Nestlé Hong Kong today, an additional batch of its powdered infant and young children formula imported into Hong Kong might have used the raw material concerned. The CFS had earlier enhanced surveillance in the market and collected a sample from the above batch for testing of Bacillus cereus. The test result of the sample was satisfactory. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall.
Product details are as follows:
Product name (Net weight): NAN PRO 1 2 HMO (800g)
Batch number: 51670742F2
Best-before date: June 16, 2027
Place of Origin: Germany
"The CFS met Nestlé Hong Kong again today, urging them to properly handle the product recall issue and respond to public enquiries, in order to safeguard consumers' legitimate rights and interests. In addition, the CFS and Nestlé Hong Kong have jointly followed up, six suspected affected batches of infant and young children formula products that had not entered the market were marked and sealed. An additional 15 batches are currently en route to Hong Kong and will also be marked and sealed upon arrival. The CFS will continue to closely monitor the recall matters and remain fully committed to ensuring food safety, " the spokesman said.
Nestlé Hong Kong has initiated a recall of the affected batches of the products concerned. For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may contact the company through the following channels:
Consumer services hotline: 2599 8874 / 2797 6031/ 2179 8136 (Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm)
Email: consumerservices@hk.nestle.com
WhatsApp: 5283 4139 (NESTLÉ® NAN®) / 2599 8871 (Wyeth® Nutrition)
Online form: forms.office.com/e/BhqMhWfsUG?origin=lprLink
Consumers may choose to bring along the products (brand new or opened) for refund at place of purchase, or at exclusive service counters of Nestlé Nutrition Services from January 13 (Tuesday) onwards, to settle the recall and refund of the batches of the products concerned. Details of the exclusive service counters are as follows:
Kowloon Services Counter
Address: G/F, Park Hovan Commercial Building, 18 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (MTR Jordon Station Exit D)
Contact number: 3996 8196
Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm; Sunday, 1pm to 5.30pm (except public holidays)
Hong Kong Services Counter
Address: 1/F, Ka Nin Wah Commercial Building, 423-425 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong (MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B)
Contact number: 3996 8197
Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm (except Sundays and public holidays)
The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted earlier that certain batches of Nestlé powdered infant formula were being voluntarily recalled in Europe due to possible contamination with Bacillus cereus. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS has immediately initiated follow up actions, published food incident posts to inform the public and the trade about the issue, and has been actively following up on the incident and enhanced surveillance.
Over the past three days (as of 4pm on January 9), the FEHD received a total of 18 food complaints and enquiries suspected to be related to the infant and young children formula products, including one anonymous complaint without contact information. The CFS and the Environmental Hygiene Branch have promptly followed up on all cases, including contacting the parties concerned to obtain details and collecting samples for testing. In addition, the CFS has referred the cases to the health department for follow-up. At present, no food poisoning cases related to the formula have been recorded.
Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Cereulide is a heat-stable toxin produced in food by some strains of Bacillus cereus. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
The spokesman urged members of the public not to let infants and young children consume the affected batches of the products, and to seek medical treatment for infants or young children who felt unwell after taking the products concerned. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batches of the products immediately.
"The CFS continues to closely monitor the developments of the situation, follow up and take appropriate action," the spokesman said.
The infant formula of Nestlé, Photo source: online image
