8.1 TDOP Offences & Point Values
Key Takeaways
- Taxi-Driver-Offence Points (TDOP) is a points system for 11 taxi-service offences listed in the Taxi Operation Booklet (Appendix 6 / §XV).
- Four serious offences carry 10 points each: overcharging; wilfully refusing or neglecting to accept a hire; refusing or neglecting to drive to the place indicated by the hirer; and defacing, damaging, or altering a taximeter.
- Four mid-tier offences carry 5 points each: soliciting; not taking the most direct practicable route; permitting a non-hirer to enter without the hirer's consent; and deceiving or refusing to inform a passenger about proper fare and route.
- Three lower-tier offences carry 3 points each: refusing or neglecting the passenger count required by the hirer; refusing or neglecting a receipt; and not setting the taximeter to the recording position.
- The rolling two-year period is counted from the date each offence was committed, not from the later date when points are formally incurred on the record.
8.1 TDOP Offences & Point Values
Quick Answer: Taxi-Driver-Offence Points (TDOP) is Hong Kong’s points system for 11 taxi-service offences (Taxi Operation Booklet §XV / Appendix 6). 10 points: overcharging; wilfully refusing/neglecting to accept hire; refusing/neglecting to drive to the hirer’s indicated place; defacing/damaging/altering a taximeter. 5 points: soliciting; not the most direct practicable route; allowing a non-hirer aboard without consent; deceiving/refusing proper fare-and-route information. 3 points: refusing/neglecting the required passenger count; refusing/neglecting a receipt; not setting the taximeter to recording position. The two-year rolling window uses the date of commission of each offence.
Part A of the Taxi Written Test treats TDOP as core regulation knowledge among the roughly 30 taxi-operation questions. Passengers experience fare fairness, hire acceptance, route honesty, and meter integrity every day; TDOP is how the law scores failures on those duties. This section builds the offence inventory and point values. Section 8.2 covers advice notices and the Taxi Service Improvement Course (TSIC); Section 8.3 covers disqualification and two-tier criminal penalties for the most serious offences.
What TDOP Is (and Is Not)
TDOP is not the general private-car Driving-Offence Points system under Cap. 375. It is a taxi-specific points scheme aimed at service quality and passenger protection — overcharging, refusing hires, dishonest routes, meter tampering, soliciting, receipts, and related duties.
Operational framing for the exam:
- Each listed offence, when committed as a taxi-driver offence under the scheme, attracts a fixed point value (10, 5, or 3).
- Points accumulate inside a rolling two-year period.
- Thresholds (advice at ≥8, TSIC at ≥10, disqualification liability at ≥15) trigger administrative and court consequences — taught in 8.2 and 8.3.
- The four 10-point offences are also the two-tier criminal penalty group (higher maximums on subsequent conviction) — details in 8.3, but you should already mark them as “serious layer” while learning the table.
You do not need to invent extra offences. The exam tests the published eleven, their point bands, and how the time window works.
Master Table — All 11 Offences
Memorise this table until you can place any conduct in the correct row without hesitation.
| Points | Offence (Appendix 6 / §XV teaching list) |
|---|---|
| 10 | Overcharging |
| 10 | Wilfully refusing or neglecting to accept a hire |
| 10 | Refusing or neglecting to drive a taxi to the place indicated by the hirer |
| 10 | Defacing, damaging, or altering a taximeter |
| 5 | Soliciting (attracting or attempting to attract anyone to hire the vehicle) |
| 5 | Driving to a destination other than by the most direct practicable route |
| 5 | Permitting any person other than the hirer to enter the taxi without the consent of the hirer |
| 5 | Deceiving or refusing to inform a passenger or intending passenger as to the proper fare and route to any place |
| 3 | Refusing or neglecting to carry the number of passengers required by the hirer |
| 3 | Refusing or neglecting to issue a receipt |
| 3 | Not setting the taximeter to the recording position |
Memory Hooks by Layer
10-point layer — “money, hire, destination, meter”
- Money integrity: overcharging
- Hire integrity: wilfully refuse/neglect to accept hire
- Destination integrity: refuse/neglect to drive to the place the hirer indicated
- Meter integrity: deface, damage, or alter the taximeter
These four also attract the two-tier criminal maxima (first conviction up to $10,000 / 6 months; subsequent up to $25,000 / 12 months — Section 8.3). On the exam, if a stem says “more serious TDOP offence” or “subsequent conviction higher fine,” pick from this four.
5-point layer — “how you sell and how you run the journey”
- Soliciting instead of lawful for-hire / stand behaviour
- Indirect or non-practicable route instead of the most direct practicable route
- Extra person boarding without the hirer’s consent
- Fare/route information — deceive, or refuse to give proper information
3-point layer — “capacity, paper, switch”
- Passenger number the hirer requires (within lawful capacity rules)
- Receipt issue when required
- Taximeter left off recording when it should be on
Offence-by-Offence Teaching Notes
10-Point Offences
1. Overcharging
Charging more than the lawful metered scale, lawful extras, and correct tolls is a classic TDOP trap. Chapters 6.1–6.2 taught the Urban / NT / Lantau scales and extras; TDOP supplies the points consequence for getting money wrong on purpose or by unlawful “surcharge culture.” Exam stems often pair “overcharge” with 10 points.
2. Wilfully refusing or neglecting to accept a hire
When the taxi is available for hire under the rules (for-hire status, stand order, no lawful refusal ground), wilfully refusing or neglecting acceptance is a 10-point offence. This is stronger than mere rudeness — it is a service-refusal offence at the top of the table. Cross-link: stand queue and for-hire duties (Chapter 5).
3. Refusing or neglecting to drive to the place indicated by the hirer
Once hired, the destination the hirer indicates is the job. Refusing or neglecting to take the passenger there is 10 points — same seriousness band as overcharging. Do not confuse this with the 5-point “wrong route” offence: one is about going to the place at all; the other is about which path you take.
4. Defacing, damaging, or altering a taximeter
The taximeter is a sealed, approved fare instrument (Chapter 3). Tampering — deface, damage, alter — is a 10-point TDOP offence and a direct attack on passenger trust in the fare system.
5-Point Offences
5. Soliciting
A driver must not attract or attempt to attract people to hire the taxi in the prohibited soliciting sense. Displaying the lawful fare table or standing lawfully for hire is not soliciting; actively touting to induce hire is the problem behaviour. Booklet and practice stems treat soliciting as a 5-point TDOP item.
6. Not the most direct practicable route
Drivers must take the most direct practicable route to the destination (subject to lawful traffic reality). Driving a longer or indirect path to inflate the fare is the classic abuse. Points: 5. Related criminal and service rules appear in driver-conduct chapters; for TDOP, lock the number 5.
7. Non-hirer enters without hirer’s consent
The hire belongs to the hirer. Letting someone else board without the hirer’s consent is a 5-point offence — privacy, safety, and fare-responsibility all collide here.
8. Deceive or refuse proper fare and route information
Passengers and intending passengers are entitled to honest information about the proper fare and route. Deceiving them, or refusing to inform them, is 5 points. This pairs with overcharging (10 points) as “information honesty” vs “money honesty.”
3-Point Offences
9. Passenger count required by the hirer
If the hirer requires a lawful number of passengers (within capacity rules), refusing or neglecting to carry that number is 3 points. This is not a licence to overload beyond the legal seating maximum; it is about meeting the hirer’s lawful request for the party size.
10. Receipt refuse or neglect
Chapter 3 taught printer and manuscript receipt duties. For TDOP, refusing or neglecting to issue a receipt is 3 points (separate from owner installation penalties and the $5,000 / 6 months framing for improper issue).
11. Taximeter not set to recording position
When the hire requires the meter on HIRED / recording, failing to set it to the recording position is 3 points. This is the operational twin of meter construction and seal rules — you must actually use the meter correctly, not only possess an approved unit.
The Rolling Two-Year Period — Commission Date
TDOP thresholds look at points incurred in any period of two years. Critical exam fact:
- Count using the date of commission of the offence, not the date when points are later formally incurred on the administrative record if those dates differ.
Why that matters:
- Two offences committed close together in calendar time both sit inside the same window even if paperwork or conviction recording lags.
- An old offence committed more than two years before the relevant counting date falls out of the window when the scheme uses commission-date logic as taught in the Booklet.
- Exam traps often swap “date of commission” with “date points appear on the computer” or “date of court hearing only.” Choose commission date when asked how the two-year period is measured for TDOP accumulation.
How to Drill for Part A
Use three drill patterns:
- Name → points: “Soliciting?” → 5. “Overcharging?” → 10. “No receipt?” → 3.
- Points → list: “Name all 10-point offences” → the four serious items.
- Scenario classify: “Driver takes a long scenic detour to pad the meter” → most direct practicable route offence → 5 points (and still distinct from overcharging’s 10-point label if the stem is route-focused).
Common confusions to kill early:
| Wrong mix-up | Correct teaching |
|---|---|
| Wrong route = 10 points | Wrong route (not most direct practicable) = 5; refusing the destination = 10 |
| No receipt = 10 points | No receipt refuse/neglect = 3 |
| Soliciting = 10 points | Soliciting = 5 |
| Meter not recording = 10 points | Not setting to recording position = 3; defacing/damaging/altering meter = 10 |
| Two-year window from “points incurred” date only | Window uses date of commission of the offence |
Link Forward
Knowing the 11 offences and three point values is half of TDOP exam success. The other half is knowing what happens when totals hit 8, 10, and 15 points inside two years — advice, obligatory TSIC, deduction rules, and disqualification. Those mechanics are Sections 8.2 and 8.3.
Closing Checklist for Section 8.1
- TDOP = taxi-service points system; 11 offences in Appendix 6 / §XV.
- 10 / 5 / 3 layers: four + four + three offences.
- Serious four (10 points) = overcharge, refuse hire, refuse destination, meter tamper.
- Mid four (5 points) = solicit, indirect route, extra person without consent, fare/route deceit or refusal to inform.
- Low three (3 points) = passenger count, receipt, meter not recording.
- Two-year period: date of commission, not a casual “whenever points land” story.
Next: 8.2 Advice Notices & Taxi Service Improvement Course — what the Commissioner issues at ≥8 and ≥10 points, and how TSIC attendance can reduce points.
How many taxi-service offences are listed under the TDOP scheme in the Taxi Operation Booklet teaching table (Appendix 6 / §XV)?
Which set correctly identifies all four 10-point TDOP offences?
What TDOP point value attaches to soliciting and to driving other than by the most direct practicable route?
For TDOP accumulation inside the two-year period, which date does the Booklet teaching use?