5.3 In-cab Displays, Identity Plate & Cross-Harbour Stands

5.3 In-cab Displays, Identity Plate & Cross-Harbour Stands

Quick Answer: When standing or plying for hire, keep clearly visible and legible to a passenger: (i) the fare table in English and Chinese (Commissioner design/position), (ii) the vehicle registration mark, and (iii) the taxi driver identity plate in its holder — captions “TAXI DRIVER IDENTITY PLATE” / “的士司機證”, full name as on the ID (EN and Chinese where appropriate), photograph, and holder showing the taxi registration mark. At a cross-harbour taxi stand, the driver may refuse a hire that is not for a destination across the harbour via CHT, WHC, or EHC.

Sections 5.1–5.2 covered stands, stopping, queue order, and hire signals. This section (§VI.7–6.8 style content) is about what the passenger must be able to see when you are free for hire, and the one major stand-type exception to normal accept-hire expectations: cross-harbour taxi stands.

Visibility Duty When Standing or Plying for Hire

Whenever the taxi is standing or plying for hire, specified items must be clearly visible and legible to a passenger. “Plying for hire” means seeking passengers (street work or stand work while free). Hidden, face-down, faded beyond reading, or Chinese-only/English-only fare tables that fail the bilingual rule will not satisfy the duty.

Think of three pillars of in-cab transparency:

1. How much will this cost? → fare table
2. Which vehicle is this? → registration mark
3. Who is driving? → taxi driver identity plate

All three serve passenger trust, enforcement, and complaint follow-up.

(i) Fare Table — English and Chinese

The fare table must be:

• displayed so a passenger can clearly see and read it,
• in English and Chinese, and
• of a design and position determined by the Commissioner (for Transport).

Drivers do not invent their own fare-card layout. The Commissioner specifies how the table looks and where it sits in the vehicle. Exam items may claim that English-only is enough for tourists, or that the driver may tape a handwritten card anywhere convenient — both fail. Bilingual + Commissioner design/position is the package.

The fare table is separate from the taximeter dial. The meter shows the running amount; the table explains the published scale (flagfall, distance/time steps, extras) so the passenger can understand how the meter should behave. Fare-scale numbers themselves are Chapter 6 material; here the duty is display of the lawful bilingual table.

(ii) Vehicle Registration Mark

The vehicle registration mark must also be clearly visible and legible to a passenger when the taxi is standing or plying for hire. Passengers and officers need to identify the specific vehicle — essential for lost property, complaints, and incident reports. Do not obscure the displayed registration with stickers, folders, or poorly placed equipment.

This in-cab / passenger-facing visibility of the registration mark sits alongside external plates; the Written Test emphasis here is that a passenger inside (or engaging the cab) can read it as part of the for-hire display set.

(iii) Taxi Driver Identity Plate and Holder

The taxi driver identity plate must be shown in a holder. Size, design, and position of the plate/holder arrangements are as specified by the Commissioner.

Mandatory captions

The plate carries bilingual captions:

Memorise both strings. Exam options may garble the Chinese, drop one language, or substitute “Taxi Licence” / “Driver Card” wording.

What the plate and holder show

Name must match the ID document — not a nickname, radio callsign, or incomplete English-only spelling when Chinese appears on the ID. The photograph lets passengers confirm they are dealing with the licensed driver. The holder links that driver identity to this taxi by displaying the taxi’s registration mark on the holder itself.

Together, plate + holder answer: Who is driving this registered taxi?

Common identity-plate traps

• Photo optional if the name is clear — false (photograph is required).
• Holder need not show registration if the vehicle plate is outside — false (holder shows the taxi registration mark).
• Captions may be English only — false (English and Chinese captions).
• Driver designs a personal badge — false (Commissioner size/design/position).

Cross-Harbour Taxi Stands: Special Refuse Rule

A cross-harbour taxi stand is a stand type the Commissioner for Transport may designate (Section 5.1). At such a stand, the Booklet gives a focused right to refuse certain hires.

When the driver may refuse

At a cross-harbour taxi stand, the driver may refuse a hire that is not for a destination across the harbour by way of one of the three harbour crossings:

1. Cross-Harbour Tunnel (CHT)
2. Western Harbour Crossing (WHC)
3. Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC)

In plain language: the stand is for cross-harbour work. A passenger who only wants a short trip that does not go across the harbour via CHT, WHC, or EHC can be refused at that stand. That is an exception to the general expectation that a free taxi accepts lawful hire (detailed further in passenger-conduct chapters).

What the rule does not say

Tunnel toll and extra charging is Chapter 6; here the point is accept vs refuse at the stand, not how much the toll line shows on the meter.

Integrating Display Rules with Stand Work

A driver free at a cross-harbour stand at night should simultaneously satisfy:

• 5.1 — waiting at a lawfully designated cross-harbour stand (or temporary signed arrangement).
• 5.2 — first two ready, flag up, roof TAXI lit in darkness, queue order for accepting hire.
• 5.3 — fare table (EN+ZH), registration mark, and identity plate (captions, name, photo, holder reg) all visible and legible.
• 5.3 refuse option — if the intending passenger’s trip is not cross-harbour via CHT / WHC / EHC, refusal at this stand type is allowed.

If the same passenger wanted a cross-harbour destination via one of those tunnels, the special refuse permission would not apply merely because the driver prefers another tunnel or a different job.

Why Passenger-Facing Displays Matter

Fare tables reduce disputes about “what the scale should be.” Registration and identity plates support accountability — lost property returns, TDOP/complaint processes, and passenger confidence. Cross-harbour stand rules keep tunnel queues functional so vehicles waiting for harbour work are not forced into short local hires that empty the stand of cross-harbour supply.

Exam Focus List

• Duty applies when standing or plying for hire.
• Three visibles: fare table (EN+ZH), registration mark, identity plate.
• Fare table and plate/holder: Commissioner design/position (and size for the plate system).
• Captions: TAXI DRIVER IDENTITY PLATE / 的士司機證.
• Name as on ID (EN+Chinese where appropriate) + photo; holder shows taxi registration.
• Cross-harbour stand: may refuse non-cross-harbour hires; cross-harbour via CHT, WHC, or EHC.

Chapter 5 Close

Across this chapter you should now be able to answer: where to stop (type-correct stand or lawful hail; Transport permanent vs Police ≤72 h temporary), how to queue and signal free/hired status (first two ready, move up, flag and night roof light, recording cycle, hire-time start), and what passengers must see plus when cross-harbour stand refusal is allowed. Master those clusters and Part A stand / for-hire items become structured recalls instead of vague “driver etiquette” guesses.