Smartphones Crowd Taxi Dashboards

This driver uses a lot of devices to hustle for customers daily

 

When you get into a taxi, does the driver have more than one mobile phone attached to the dashboard?

A colleague who hails cabs often will document the drivers' dashboard as well as the decorations by taking pictures and posting them on social media.

Cabbies claim they need at least four phones to be able to do their job efficiently and pull in as much as HK$40,000 (US$6,940) a month; without them they would make 40 percent less.

Taxi licenses are expensive and fares are cheap

One driver explained to a media outlet that he needed four smartphones and a tablet. The tablet is for picking up orders from several taxi apps, and two phones serve as walkie-talkies to communicate with other drivers for traffic information, road conditions, passenger hotspots and to refer orders. 

A third phone is to receive orders from Uber and the last one is his GPS device to check Uber hotspots when prices are surging.

"I don't want to waste my time looking for passengers on the streets or waiting at taxi ranks. All these tools help me manage my orders efficiently so I can seamlessly pick up passengers one after another," he said.

But now the government is considering limiting the number of devices on their dashboards. 

Transport minister Frank Chan Fan told the Legislative Council last month that the Transport Department was looking into regulating the number and location of mobile phones in vehicles, as well as the modes and purposes of their use.

Chan may regulate the number of devices in taxis

A law passed in 2000 stipulates drivers are prohibited from holding mobile phones in their hands or between their head and shoulders while the vehicle is moving. 

 However, the law does not cover reading information from a phone placed on the dashboard, or pressing the phone or swiping the screen as long as it is not in the driver's grip.

Transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick Chi-ming pointed out the government pledged to study the issue in 2014 but nothing was done.

"This issue of taxi drivers placing too many smartphones on the dashboard has been going on for a long time. In an extreme case, one driver was found to have 13 devices," he said. "Some cabbies even use larger-sized tablets, which block their view of the road and affect their ability to drive safely."

He said they should be limited to two smartphones -- one for GPS and the other for communication.

But cab drivers say they are careful while driving and need many devices to be able to get as many fares as possible through car-hailing apps.

Old and new phones in this taxi

The real crux of the problem is reforming the taxi system in Hong Kong which has become too complicated, too old and too expensive. The taxi licences are worth HK$7 million a piece, the cars are 30 years old, the drivers average 70 years of age, and fares are very cheap.

So a driver needs to catch as much business as he can, and if a car-hailing app helps him find customers, he will use it. Government officials are so out of touch with the situation and have let the problem fester for so long that no one wants to fix it. The taxi system in Hong Kong needs a complete overhaul, but who is willing to tackle it?

The next best thing? Limit the number of devices on their dashboards...

Picture of the Day: Taxi Commendation Scheme

Good taxi driver? Take down all his info first

 

Yesterday afternoon I flagged down a taxi on Staunton Street near Tai Kwun in Central. At first the driver asked where I was going as he was a Kowloon taxi and needed to return the car, but agreed to take me in.

After a while I noticed in front of me was this sign: "Taxi Service Commendation Scheme", asking riders to scan the QR code and recommend your driver.

The nomination period already began on July 15 and goes on until September 30, and then the voting period is from October 22 to December 17.

When you scan the QR code, you have to enter the driver's name, mobile number, the taxi registration number and the license plate, when and where you got the ride from, and a section called "experience sharing" to add any other additional comments.

The form is exhausting to say the least, and what's the point?

Most people are not going to pay attention to fill out all these details and even the driver's mobile number? Obviously the people creating the form have not thought of the reality of having to fill it out.

And when do you fill it out? When a driver returns your smartphone to you or gets you across the harbour in 10 minutes?

We understand the taxi industry is trying hard to improve its services in its competition with car hailing apps like Uber, but this "Taxi Service Commendation Scheme" is not going to make drivers stop smoking in their vehicles, clean them better or have a sunnier attitude.

Though I have to say this driver had an Octopus reader and just as we were nearing my destination I asked if I could pay my ride with Octopus.

"You should have told me earlier," the driver replied with a surly attitude, turning it on.

He saved me the time and effort from having to fill out the form...

 

Hong Kong Habits Changed by Protests

Ricky Wong of HKTV sees a 40 percent jump in online sales since the protests

 

The anti-government protests in Hong Kong are now into their 21st week. This is the new normal for the city, and its residents are adapting the best they can.

With the pseudo curfew thanks to the MTR closing early, (now 11pm this week, but 10pm for Saturday and Sunday), it has changed the way people live in the city.

More and more people are shopping online for convenience

People are dining much earlier now, as restaurants need to close early so that their staff can take the MTR to get home. I've heard even wedding banquets, which typically start around 8pm, now finish by 9.30pm so that guests can make their way home.

At the same time taxis, Uber, buses and even trams are getting more business from people who would have normally taken the MTR.

The alternative is staying housebound and having everything delivered to you. Online shopping has gone up over 40 percent in Hong Kong, with people ordering prepared food to groceries, clothes and even furniture at the click of a mouse.

Before the protests people would have personally gone to shops because they were close by or they were purchasing something they had to examine in person. And grocery shopping... everyone picks their own produce, right?

However there are some people who now really depend on these services to continue functioning and it's created a boon for these delivery companies. We all need to eat, right?

The Rosewood offers a luxurious deal for a room

Hotels are hurting badly from so few tourists coming to Hong Kong and are pushing staycation deals to local residents. Some offers are too hard to pass up -- a room for a night plus dining credit that covers more than half the price of the room... Sad but true.

High-end hotels like Rosewood in Tsim Sha Tsui that opened earlier this year are offering two nights accommodation for the price of one night. If you are into over-the-top luxury, this is an unbeatable price. Personally I'd rather stay home, but there are some people who want to feel pampered.

Everyone in the hospitality industry, from hotels and restaurants to retail must be pressuring the government to do something to end the protests. But is Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor listening? The government is doling out subsidies for those in the transportation sector, and encouraged landlords to help their tenants. This isn't enough or much to give people hope the government is concerned about them.

Banquets now finish much earlier for guests to go home

As one chef-owner told me recently, now it's survival of the richest -- who has the deepest pockets to keep operating in these adverse times...

Hong Kong Needs Better Taxi Service Now!

There are too many complaints about taxi service in HK and no will to fix it

Hong Kong's taxi industry is in a horrific state, with complaints up 2.2 percent to a record high of almost 11,000 last year. 

Perhaps there are more complaints because customers have also used Uber and there is such a stark difference between the two services in terms of comfort, cleanliness, driving skills and friendliness of the drivers.

The government thinks people will pay more for better service

Though the government has not mandated the taxi industry to reform itself significantly -- like new vehicles or fine individual drivers for bad service, or insist on standardized courses they must take -- it has instead suggested customers will pay more for a premium service.

This idea was completely slammed by the Competition Commission, which released a 90-page document to lawmakers in the Legislative Council today. The competition watchdog said having a franchised taxi scheme where the starting rate at 50 percent more is hardly a benefit to the riders.

"While there are likely to be some consumers less sensitive about the fare they pay, it makes no economic or common sense to assume they will demand higher fares," it said.

The plan was to have some 600 franchised taxis or 3 percent of exiting cabs in the city offering this premium service. Who would pay for a more expensive taxi ride? No one!

Many people would rather have the option to use Uber

The commission suggested the taxi franchises come up with service proposals set at a minimum level. 

However, the government said it believed the franchised taxi services would offer better protection, more assured service quality, and more transparency on fares to passengers than existing illegal online hire car services.

While the government means well, people just want to get from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible without having to sit in a smoky-smelling vehicle with seats that sink one foot down, or be forced to listen to the taxi driver chatting to his friends, or listen to silly talk shows on the radio. And also don't get me started on why all the taxis in Hong Kong seem to be unavailable from 3.30pm to 4.30pm because the drivers are handing the taxi to another one.  

Hong Kong Taxi Owners' Association chairman Wong Po-keung did not think the scheme would meet the government's objectives to improve the service quality of existing cab drivers.

Some drivers have too many distractions

"It fails to look at the root cause of poor service. We have submitted many different proposals to the government in the past four years but it has turned a deaf ear," Wong said. "It is like refusing to heal a patient and creating a new person instead."

We agree. Civil servants once again are completely out of touch with the reality of the situation and are bending over backwards to not deal with the problems in the taxi industry head-on. 

Uber Gets more Competitive with Taxis

Uber will be raising its fares from Wednesday, still cheaper than taxis

Uber still isn't legal in Hong Kong, though there are many who use the service.

Starting on Wednesday the car-hailing service will be raising its fares so that the starting fare is HK$18 on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, while it will still be HK$8 in the New Territories.

Currently taxis start at HK$24, so Uber is still less expensive -- as long as there isn't a surge in requests for cars.

Hong Kong taxi drivers can be rude or difficult to deal with

It seems Uber is targeting customers who want to be driven longer distances as it will be cheaper overall, compared to those going shorter distances.

There will also be a charge of HK$2 per minute after the driver has waited at the pick-up point for three minutes. That will definitely make it more efficient for Uber drivers to pick up more people.

The Hong Kong government is still stalling on establishing regulations to make it possible for Uber to function legally in Hong Kong despite many members of the public clamouring for the service. They are fed up with instances of rude taxi drivers who choose to reject passengers or will charge excessive amounts after the MTR is closed. Then there's the aging cars they drive, where passengers sink into the seats at the back, some with the shock absorbers next to non existent. And yes there's the lingering cigarette smoke...

Meanwhile Uber drivers seem to be making a pretty penny. About two weeks ago I chatted with one who started driving full time a few months ago, as he could make HK$30,000 to HK$40,000 a month.

The car-hailing service still isn't legal in Hong Kong

As an early riser, he could do as many as eight trips in the morning to get people to work, and then take a break mid-morning until the afternoon and evening rush. And if he was particularly busy today, he would not hustle as much the following day, basically making his own hours.

The driver added he used to be in sales and here he didn't have to deal with the hassle of pleasing customers and office politics -- as long as he got clients from A to B there were no complaints. Not bad for just driving people around. And he will probably be making more money come Wednesday.

The government is desperate for the taxi industry's support, which is why it has procrastinated on dealing with Uber. But if fewer people take taxis, which many are, then the industry will have no choice but to reform and give a better service. That's all we want in the end...

Picture of the Day: Scooter Mayhem

Lime S is one of a few scooter companies in San Francisco

The newest disrupter in San Francisco is a company offering several thousand electric scooters in the city that don't have to be docked at a station - they can be left anywhere.

Some people love using them — after signing up they just jump on them and go, saving time and money on short distances.

However, this has not only created the dilemma of scooters left all over the place, but also a lot of controversy because the company didn't ask City Hall permission to offer this service.

It was probably hoping that once people use the scooters, they would support the venture, but there's a lot of pushback from those who don't use the service, annoyed that yet another company is trying to fly under the radar without any regulations.

AirBnB, Uber and Lyft are examples of this brash behaviour. They are banking on the fact that governments are going to take a while to finally crack down on them, and when it finally gets to that point, the service would be so much a part of users' lives that the authorities can't be too severe in terms of banning the service completely.

While we didn't see hordes of people using these scooters, the service has only been around for a month or so. It just might take off — or not.

Taxi Association's U-Turn on Uber

Will taxis finally stop protesting and finally cooperate with Uber?

Just the other day two Hong Kong taxi groups were threatening to sue the government if it followed recommendations by the Consumer Council to relax regulations to allow Uber to operate in the city.

But now there seems to be a complete 180-degree turn, as Uber is interested in working with taxis to share the market.

"... the taxi industry may not have the technology platform like ours to provide tailor-made services," explained Kenneth She Chun-chi, Uber Hong Kong's general manager. "If we cooperate together, they can also make use of our backup customer service and even capitalize on our good image to regain consumer confidence as they are now having an image problem."

Uber's Kenneth She says taxis can benefit from its technology

Wow dragging the Hong Kong taxi industry into the 21st century. How novel!

And the vice-chairman of the Association of Taxi Industry Development Ng Kam-wah is open to the idea of working with the ride-hailing company.

"We think that there is room for the taxi trade to cooperate with Uber as this will be a win-win situation for us," he said. "The taxi industry could benefit form the ride-hailing platform, effective marketing and good customer image of Uber, while Uber can operate legally with the taxi vehicles," he added.

They sound like they are practically singing the same tune.

However, Ng points out that Uber charges a certain percentage of the drivers' income, but he would prefer the charge goes to the customer to pay rather than the driver. He doesn't want drivers' incomes to be affected.

Why is Ng Kam-wah suddenly keen on working with Uber?

But that's the whole point -- Uber helps drivers get customers through its technology so it is only fair that drivers get charged for that. It's just like taxi drivers having to pay for their licenses. Something's gotta give.

And are those crusty taxi drivers in their 60s really going to know how to use the app and deal with these new ways of charging customers and collecting money online?

We find this sudden about face very interesting and wonder what made the taxi association change its mind about Uber.

However here at The Fragrant Harbour we're all about action, not words. If Ng really does get his association moving in adopting Uber's technology and the culture of ride-hailing apps, then transportation in Hong Kong is going to get significantly better.

The ball's in your court, Ng.

Taxis vs Government

Taxi groups threaten to sue the government if it allows Uber to operate in HK

We're not surprised by two taxi associations up in arms about a recent Consumer Council report that recommended the government relax regulations to allow car-hailing apps like Uber to operate in Hong Kong.

What we are surprised about is the delayed response from the two associations -- this report came out a week ago.

People want more choice of how to get from A to B

The Association for the Rights of Liberty Taxi Drivers and Association for Taxi Industry Development are threatening to sue the government if goes ahead with the council's recommendations.

They do have a good point though -- taxi operators need to pay HK$7 million (US$896,000) for a taxi license, whereas ride-hailing operators don't need to do that.

The Consumer Council had recommended the government make car-hailing services more available in Hong Kong after so many complaints about taxi services being rude, cars are old, overcharging customers and denying passengers rides.

In the report the council also suggested cabbies could take part in the car-hailing industry by setting up their own groups, thus giving consumers more choice in how to get from A to B.

Carrie Lam may side with the taxis groups for political support

Up until now taxi groups had vowed to reform themselves with some chosen drivers to provide better service. But how are we supposed to know which ones they are, and how can we request them?

There were a few other initiatives but I'm not hearing anyone remarking how they had an impressive taxi ride recently.

So this showdown between the taxi associations and the government should be interesting. The government will probably back down as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor depends on them for support, leaving the rest of Hong Kong grumbling even more about state of taxi services in the city.

Or will she figure out some kind of compromise? Miracles can happen...

Greg So: Trying to Leave on Good Terms -- Not

Commerce minister Greg So when he announced HKTV did not get a license

Outgoing Commerce and Economic Development minister Greg So Kam-leung has revealed that HKTV should have gotten a free-to-air license four years ago, and that he almost cried when when he had to announce the government's "collective decision" which resulted in 300 people in the broadcast industry out of work.

In 2013, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and his advisers rejected the application by outspoken businessman Ricky Wong Wai-kay for the broadcast license due to a "basket of factors" -- which are still unknown to this day.

So claims at the time he felt HKTV should have a TV license

"At the time I suggested three licenses should be granted because I believe in competition," So said on a RTHK program on Monday. Only i-Cable's Fantastic TV and PCCW's HK Television Entertainment Company were awarded licenses.

"I tried my best to convince the members at the Executive Council meeting, but I also had to respect the collective decision," he added. "I was trying not to cry when announcing the news [as some 300 people would lose their jobs]," he said.

Are we supposed to feel sympathy for So? Does he want the public to think he was the only rational person in the room but no one was listening or that he was out-voted?

When he was asked about his feelings over implementing a decision he did not believe in, So said: "It was part of my responsibilities... I had to explain to the public. This is the spirit of accountability system."

How about more like, I had to go along with it, otherwise I'd probably be sacked?

Why was So not questioned about the food truck debacle?

So also talked about Uber and its ongoing legalization problems in Hong Kong. He suggested that perhaps the government's regulations were perhaps not accommodating enough for this sharing economy trend.

"If its business model does not contradict the objectives behind our legislation, shouldn't we consider amending the law to allow better development for a sharing economy?" he asked.

Guess that hot potato will be passed onto chief executive-elect Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's administration to handle come July 1.

However, during the RTHK program, did no one challenge So on the abysmal failure of the food truck initiative? Last week the government finally admitted that perhaps some of the locations weren't good for customers. Hello?! We could have told you that!

He should have been raked over the coals for this half-baked idea that got worse and worse.

But perhaps this topic was one he insisted on refusing to talk about, though he was keen on getting the sympathy vote from the public.

Sorry Mr So -- can't have it both ways.

HK Government's Draconian Response to Uber

Why does the government want Uber to operate like Hong Kong taxis?

Uber is trying to prove to the government that it has the support of Hong Kong people, and in its online campaign, "IChooseUber", it has garnered some 12,000 submissions praising the car-hailing app service.

Kenneth She, Uber Hong Kong's general manager, said he was "blown away" by the support.

"This means riders are looking for the choice to move around the city the way they want, and driver-partners are hoping for the choice to earn extra income on their own terms," he said, adding that Uber was ready to meet the government to find a way to legalize and regulate the trade.

Uber Hong Kong general manager Kenneth She

The government's response to this car hailing app where people can conveniently book cars online, pay immediately by credit card, and can rate their driver too?

Uber must operate just like how taxis do.

HUH?

Transport minister Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said Uber needs to adjust its business model and operate like taxis, while he continued to push the idea of premium taxis, that would essentially operate like Uber.

It doesn't seem like he has even tried Uber before or understands how it works.

Is he in the 21st century? And has he tried to hail an ordinary taxi before? The drivers pick and choose who they want to take, even though that is completely illegal, and they all aren't available around 4pm when they change drivers. And then there are the personal hygiene habits of many of them...

Taxi drivers really need to step up their game, and Cheung thinks premium taxis are the way to go?

Democratic Party lawmaker Wu Chi-wai, who sits on the Legislative Council's transport panel, said the government's lack of finding legal and regulatory solutions to allow Uber to operate in Hong Kong showed it was not ready to deal with the "shared economy".

Taxis here need to be seriously revamped with better service

Information technology sector lawmaker Charles Mok said the city had become "the laughing stock of the whole world" because the government decided to "stay in the Stone Age" and not embrace new technology.

Uber is filling a gap in the market -- a choice for people who can't hail a taxi, or would rather pay via credit card, and get a clean, quiet service, and stimulates the economy because drivers are earning extra money whenever they want.

Isn't Hong Kong supposed to be about fair competition? The government dragging its heels on this one, revealing how closely linked it is with the taxi industry. Cheung is and the bureaucracy are twisting themselves into pretzels to try to persuade the public not to use Uber.

This latest development will only spur Uber customers to use the service even more and perhaps get a few more converts.

Getting Uber to be like Hong Kong taxis must be the joke of the week.

Hong Kong's Backward Ways

Some of the Uber cars that were impounded during a undercover operation

Earlier this week the Hong Kong police swooped down and arrested 22 Uber drivers for allegedly not having a hire car permit or third party insurance. Apparently it was the biggest raid of its kind, a three-week undercover operation.

It seems the government is intent on shutting the app-driven car service that offers clean vehicles, polite drivers and rides at a decent cost.

What happened to Hong Kong's hallmark of fair competition?

The taxi associations are threatened by Uber and claim they will improve drivers' service, help them learn more English and so on.

Hong Kong taxi associations wield a lot of political power

But that doesn't help replace the old vehicles they have with seats that sink a foot down as soon as you sit down, the smell of cigarette smoke and drivers looking like they just rolled out of bed five minutes before they picked you up.

It also doesn't fix the problem of them refusing cab fare because they will only roll down their window and ask where you're going -- this is illegal, but having to take down their license plate and driver name is too much of a hassle to bother to register with the police so you just give up and try to find another taxi.

There's also the issue of them not being available around 4pm, when they universally disappear because it's time to change drivers. Can't this exchange be staggered? It's outrageous and outdated.

And why not pay by credit card or Octopus at least? Again not with the times and doesn't work for the rest of us who are trying to keep up with Hong Kong's fast pace.

But the public likes the services Uber provides

Yet Hong Kong's taxi drivers refuse to move with the times. And the government is enabling them to stay the way they are.

That's because they have 42 taxi associations, 28 of which are in Hong Kong and Kowloon, the rest in the New Territories. They also have a big say when it comes to choosing the chief executive. So you can imagine the candidates wanted to make sure he or she got their vote...

Meanwhile the government likes to brand the city as supporting start-ups and especially ones that involve technology. Doesn't Uber fit the bill?

And yet authorities seem intent on suppressing the transport service that the public is demanding and for the most part enjoying. How ironic is that? People can place an order via their smartphone, pay remotely and even rate their driver.

How would Hong Kong taxi drivers fare if the same was done to them?

There's enough demand for hired car services since taxi driver seem to reject many potential customers. And this encourages people to work part time for extra money, thus stimulating the local economy.

So what's the problem?

We can only guess...

China's Modern Mobile Payments

The vendor or the buyer scans the QR code to pay for items and services

When I lived in Beijing back in 2007, QQ was the way people communicated, and in our office we used Microsoft Messenger. People would send SMS messages via their mobile phones, and everything had to be paid in person. With cash.

I had to carry bundles of cash with me, particularly on pay day and it was a bit nerve-wracking carrying around stacks of 100 kuai bank notes around.

Less than 10 years later hardly anyone carries cash now.

On WeChat, people can split a bill

With smartphones, people use Weixin or WeChat to not only communicate with friends and associates much like people outside of China use Whatsapp, but they also use WeChat for all kinds of things, particularly payments.

The payment app is linked to their bank accounts and acts like a debit card. When you want to pay for something, from a snack at a roadside stall to a department store, you pull up the Wexin payment app and scan the vendor's QR code and presto -- the amount you paid for has been transferred electronically from your bank account to the vendor's.

If there are several people eating together in a restaurant and then want to split the bill, it can easily be done by the WeChat app too.

And if you need to call a taxi, WeChat can help you with that too. There used to be a plethora of taxis on the road, but nowadays the government is trying to take some taxis off the road by banning those who don't have a Beijing hukou from driving within the city limits.

So WeChat can help you either call a taxi or an Uber-like service called Didi Chuxing (used to be called Didi Kuai). A few times my friends had to help me call a taxi because it's virtually impossible to hail them down late at night.

There's a higher chance of getting a taxi on the WeChat app

It functions much like Uber where you tell them your destination and through GPS the driver is able to locate you. The payment is made automatically at the end of the trip and you can rate the driver.

Though you could use a hei che or "black car", known by the vertical red lights hanging from the top of the windshield.

With this form of transport, you need to bargain beforehand with the driver (which could be tedious), and some of my female friends don't trust these drivers.

Nevertheless, you could probably pay them by WeChat which would still be convenient.

So people in Beijing are pretty much cashless these days. Even trying to use a credit card can be an ordeal.

However, the only drawback of using WeChat for payments is that it depends on how good the wifi is where you are paying. My friend bought a dress in a small boutique in Andingmen tried to pay via WeChat, but the transaction didn't go through unless they stood just outside the shop to get a stronger internet signal.

WeChat seems more popular than Alipay, which may have been late to the game, or isn't as convenient in terms of its functions.

In any event, it's quite amazing to see how China has practically leapfrogged over us in Hong Kong when it comes to electronic payments and it makes you wonder why we haven't thought of doing something like this ages ago.

Woo Unveils Platform

Retired judge Woo Kwok-hing unveiled his platform today running for CE

Just when we thought Hong Kong chief executive contender former judge Woo Kwok-hing was fading into the background, he came back today releasing his platform way ahead of everyone else.

He said the platform tackled issues that incumbent Leung Chun-ying failed or refused to deliver. Woo has also secured the support of Andy Ho On-tat, who was the top aide to former CE Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.

Woo promoted his 47-page booklet outlining a number of policy proposals he said were the culmination of him talking to a wide range of people in the past six weeks.

One proposal would be to regulate Uber in Hong Kong...

"Those who have shared their ideas with me may find I have borrowed some of their insights for my policy blueprint," he said.

His top priority is political reform, vowing to broaden the electoral roll of the Election Committee that will select the city's leader in March from 250,000 to one million voters.

Another is to abolish the TSA or Territory-wide System Assessment for Primary Three pupils that has been criticized for putting extra pressure on students in the form of exam drilling.

Woo also wants to develop brownfield sites -- degraded farmland in the New Territories that are currently occupied by recycling workshops and other operators -- for housing.

He would also regulate Uber despite taxi drivers' protests, and AirBnB accommodation services for tourists.

As the first out of the gate in October announcing his candidacy for CE, Woo doesn't think much of his pro-establishment would-be rivals.

Another would be to scrap the TSA exams for primary three

"Those aspirants who have been waiting, the pan-democrats know full well what they are waiting for. What they wait for runs against pan-democrats' principles. They should not support those candidates," he said.

While former Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah tendered his resignation on Monday, there is speculation Beijing may take a while to confirm him as a candidate, with one Chinese academic claiming Tsang may not be politically correct enough.

However, we shall see. It took two days to confirm Henry Tang Ying-yen but eight for Donald Tsang.

In any case, Woo's platform is pretty much what many people in Hong Kong would like to see. But does he have Beijing's blessing?

App for Paid Coverage

A screen grab showing the various jobs on offer

There's car hailing apps in China like Uber and Didi Chuxing that help you get to where you want to go, but what if you want a reporter to write a flattering story about your company, perhaps because your boss wants to inflate his ego, or a way to boost your stock price?

Then it's time to get onto the app Zhao Jizhe (找记者) -- "Find a Journalist" in Chinese.

Much like those car-hailing apps, Zhao Jizhe offers services to companies who are willing to pay a range of prices for media coverage. For as little as 1,000 yuan (around US$150), you can get a decent write-up in one publication. But shell out 8,000 yuan, and the article will be written by a senior writer and guaranteed coverage in 25 publications, including four well-known ones.

First companies post their demands and deadline, and then the journalists who fit the bill will bid for the job, touting which publications they can place the article in. Then the company picks the best person for the job and then arranges payment through the app.

This is very similar to the old school way of doing journalism in China -- with red envelopes.

At press conferences, companies would hand out hongbao in the hopes they'd get good reports from journalists.

Hardly anyone refused these red envelopes because hey -- it's cash! And companies would claim it was "transportation money" for the reporters to get to and from the press conference or event. The amount could range from a few hundred yuan to several thousand, depending on the firm. The higher paying companies were usually car or oil industry related...

This would seriously affect not only the quality of journalism, but also the readers' perception of the companies they were reading about. Perhaps paid journalism is how some stock prices went up? Someone should do a study on that.

In any event Zhao Jizhe is very much on the same lines, though the high-tech version.

Unfortunately journalists in China are paid so little, that the money is very tempting. We all need to make a living, right?

But then again who believes what's written in state media anyway?

Singapore's Floral Treasure

Orchids were everywhere you looked in the National Orchid Garden

On our last day in Singapore we headed out a bit earlier to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was founded in its current location in 1859 and is a Unesco World Heritage site. Again the gardens are free admission except for a few places.

We were very surprised to see a number of morning walkers with their dogs! Some people were running, walking, doing tai chi, and it was great to see so many people taking advantage of such a beautiful place.

The scenic entrance to the National Orchid Garden

Our main aim was to hit the National Orchid Garden and then have brunch, which we did in good time. Orchids are Singapore's national flower, and this garden is proud to present over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids, all for the admission price of S$5.00, or S$1.00 for seniors!

It's a pretty large area and everywhere you look there are orchids of different colours and shapes. What was really interesting was seeing orchids growing off of tree branches because it's so humid there, that they naturally grow like this.

There is a VIP section, where visiting dignitaries have orchids named after them. In October 2014 Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge visited the garden and saw the orchid, a white one, named after his mother, Princess Diana.

Other orchids include ones for former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and Japanese Empress Michiko.

There are over 1,000 species of orchids on display

After seeing the National Orchid Garden and wandering around to see the swans in the lake and Symphony Lake, we headed to the cafe for brunch and were sated by the large portions! I had baked eggs with garlic bread, zucchini and tomato sauce, and another variation was a frittata, Continental breakfast or executive one with eggs, sausage and bacon.

When we were getting ready to leave, we heard thunder in the distance and were glad to get our Uber ride just as the drops started falling.

Speaking of Uber, in general the drivers were friendly, efficient, and in general cheaper than taxis. Only one misrepresented himself as driving a BMW when in fact it was a Ford Focus. We did get a ride to the Night Safari in a BMW and the driver, probably in his late 50s, was kind enough to give us phone chargers to use!

Orchids of all kinds of shapes and colours were in full bloom

All of them used GPS to get around, placing their phones on right side of the dashboard, and almost all of them tuned the radio to 80s music, which for me was like going down memory lane...

Preparing Kids for a Disrupted World

Hong Kong needs to shake up its approach to education to prepare students

At a workshop I attended earlier this week, the theme was disruptors, and how they have challenged traditional business models. These include Airbnb, Uber, and Google, and how things are much cheaper than before, or require less humans to operate them, and hence less employment.

The leader of the workshop contended that by 2018, 80 percent of companies will be disrupted. Currently 80 percent report dealing with disruption already, though only 50 percent of them are doing something about it.

He added there are already major disruptions in finance, law, marketing and human resources.

And then he said, "I don't mean to offend anyone in the room, but I find Hong Kong students boring and unstimulated. They just want to have the highest-paying job at the fastest way possible."

Rote learning will not help kids deal with a disrupted world

That sparked a flurry of opinions in the audience.

Some said it was because parents have made money a priority, and it was also the education system that made the kids boring learning by rote.

Another said that as a mother she didn't know how to prepare her children with how to deal with the world when they graduate and the school system in Hong Kong was all about rote learning and not giving the students skills on adapting to a world full of disruptions.

This is a good point -- how do you prepare your child for today's work force in which nothing is predictable?

How do you explain to them they need to know general knowledge, but that also they need skills on flexibility, creativity, be a team player and be disciplined and hardworking?

It seems like Hong Kong's education system is totally behind on this, and still focused on meeting certain targets that are definitely not related to the students' development.

By the same token, the parents need to stop coddling their children and get them to be independent. Some kids can't even tie shoelaces at the age of 10, or peel apples at the age of 24. They need to be able to fend themselves and having a helper do everything for them is not going to help.

Scheduling every minute of their lives isn't helpful either -- the children don't want to learn anymore and that's the last thing you want to happen. If they are already burned out at seven, how are they going to continue learning the rest of their lives?

Physical activity is also important -- team sports helps them to learn the importance of working together towards a goal as well as make good friends. It's also a good way to keep fit and focus on things other than school work.

While many parents claim to know the benefits of the above-mentioned points, they are too scared to have their child do one less thing because that may hinder him or her from getting into an elite school, or fall behind their peers.

The rat race starts as soon as the child is born in Hong Kong. How fun is that?

And people wonder why Hong Kong's youth are not "hungry"....

Uber Takes Hong Kong Taxis for a Ride

Uber has added a cheaper service in Hong Kong to further compete with taxis

Ah... the fight between Uber and Hong Kong taxi drivers continues with the car-hailing mobile app launching UberX, its budget service where customers ride in smaller car models like the Toyota Prius and Honda Jazz for cheaper rates than the existing UberBlack service.

UberX starts at HK$10, with HK$6 for every kilometre travelled, and HK$1 for each minute of waiting while in transit. The minimum charge would be HK$30, making it more affordable the further you travel.

This comes as a welcome relief to commuters who are tired of dealing with taxi drivers who think they can get away with illegal and unprofessional behaviour.

During this past week, my colleagues and I had a lot of trouble trying to hail cabs to cross the harbour and either they flat out refused, or kicked up a big fuss.

Only persistence will get you where you want to go in a taxi

As soon as we sat down and closed the door and told the taxi driver where we wanted to go, he immediately said that he would not cross the harbour and would drop us off at a place where there would be cross-harbour taxis.

We complained and said our destination was very close to the cross harbour tunnel so why not take us? He then said that he would have to get off soon, but we again persuaded him that it wasn't too far.

Then he dropped the bomb -- that he would only go to the Western tunnel, as the toll costs a lot (HK$55). He hoped that this would be the deal breaker.

But we said that's fine -- our company is paying.

Defeated, he drove us to our destination without saying a word.

Does every time we get into a cab have to be this major effort to cajole the driver to take us? Isn't it their job to drive us to wherever we want and we pay for that service?

And what's with the entire city's fleet of taxis all stopping service at 4pm to change drivers? Why not stagger the changeovers?

With this new budget service, Uber in Hong Kong could really take off because it's making it affordable for EVERYONE to take it.

While expats probably love this service the most here because the drivers are polite, their cars are clean and it's easy to get a car on their phones, locals will probably soon catch on too.

There are some taxi drivers who are nice and enterprising, discounting rides with regular customers, but many have the perception that taxi drivers are rude, unkempt, can't speak English well and are difficult to deal with.

So the battle for customers continues between Hong Kong taxis and Uber.

We'll see who wins...

Paris is Crying

The Arc de Triomphe was a remembrance of those who fought for democracy

It is shocking what happened in Paris -- so far 128 people killed and hundreds injured after coordinated attacks were made on the City of Lights.

Bars, restaurants, a concert and football match were targeted and Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

We will find out more in the coming days, but we find this particularly sad having visited the city only a few months ago.

Practically everyone we came in contact with was very warm and welcoming, and the city wasn't too difficult to get around by metro (aside from the taxi strike against Uber the day we arrived). Paris has such history and culture, that one cannot help but appreciate how it influences the rest of the world.

There are too many questions now, but in the meantime we pray for Paris and its people, and hope this is not the start of more horrific things to come.

Getting Hong Kong to Uber-ize

Uber is ready to serve customers who are willing to pay more for good service

Uber is forcing governments around the world to figure out how this car-hailing app can fit into their societies, but not without backlash.

In Hong Kong, the firm's offices in Sheung Wan were raided several days ago and three staff were arrested along with seven Uber drivers.

The ironic thing is that Uber was supported by InvestHK, a government arm that helps businesses set up shop in Hong Kong easily, in some cases offering promotional services and introduction to contacts, as long as the business fits into one of six areas like creative industries, financial services, innovation and technology, and information and communications technology.

Many complain about Hong Kong taxi drivers' bad habits

Uber was even promoted on the InvestHK website up until the day of the arrests which must have been an awkward U-turn for the government.

But why all of a sudden these arrests? Technically Uber drivers do not have licenses to carry strangers in their own cars. And what if there's an accident? Who takes responsibility?

This is what the taxi driver associations are angry about, because they are paying around HK$7 million each for their licenses while these Uber drivers are not.

However, upon hearing about the arrests, there was an online petition that garnered 50,000 signatures supporting Uber, and lots of comments in local newspapers from residents tired of putting up with cab drivers who refuse to pick up passengers, smell lingering cigarette smoke, charge exorbitant fees late at night, and so on.

Surely there is room for two services, one of which people need to pay more for better service? Some customers like to be picked up in a Mercedes, others just want to ensure they have a ride after a concert where thousands of people are waiting in line for a taxi.

Uber North Asia general manager Sam Gellman is keen to sit down with the government to hash out some kind of agreement.

Uber's Sam Gellman keen to work with the government

"A smart city must have smart regulations fit for a digital age, and we look forward to working closely with regulators towards developing a regulatory approach that enables more choice and innovation while putting the safety and interests of riders and drivers first," he says.

The Hong Kong government, via Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung, says there should be "legal space" for Uber to continue to operate in the city.

Gellman says safety is a top priority for the taxi-hailing app, which is why the drivers go through an extensive background check and every ride is covered by insurance.

He seems optimistic something will be worked out in the end for Hong Kong, citing the successful adaptation of Uber into transportation regulations and licensing schemes in 54 jurisdictions in the United States, Mexico City and the Philippines.

Yuen says the Justice Department has yet to lay charges on the Uber staff and drivers, as the police are still investigating... but shouldn't the government have done its due diligence work on Uber before allowing it into the city? Seems strange for it to investigate one of its star clients...

Nevertheless, the fight between Uber and Hong Kong taxi drivers continues and public opinion seems to side with the former.

I have yet to try the service, and have heard about some hits and misses, but overall seems like it wouldn't hurt to drive a little competition in Hong Kong -- isn't that what this city is about -- choice?