By August 2026, owners of 3,578 of the 8,448 taxis invited to join Hong Kong’s electric-taxi subsidy scheme had accepted allocations. But only 1,152 replacement electric taxis had completed licensing and qualified for the subsidy, according to figures from Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology, in a reply to a legislator.
Launched in December 2024, the scheme aims to subsidise 3,000 electric taxis to replace older vehicles, offering HK$45,000 for each taxi.
During the first four invitation rounds, owners of 3,527 taxis declined or did not reply. In the fifth round, owners of 1,343 taxis had yet to respond by an early-October deadline.
Tse said that, according to the government’s understanding from the taxi trade, some owners who did not participate, did not reply or accepted an allocation but did not go on to order or license a taxi were taking a more cautious approach to replacing their vehicles amid changes in economic conditions. He said this caution was unrelated to the ordering or licensing deadlines or vehicle choice.
Owners accepting an allocation have six months from the invitation letter to order an electric taxi, then 12 months from the order date to complete licensing.