Tse Chin-wun says some car owners are not taking part in the electric taxi subsidy scheme because of changes in the economic environment

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wun said in a written reply to a Legislative Council member's question that from the launch of the electric taxi subsidy scheme in December 2024 to August this year, 3,578 taxi owners had accepted subsidy quotas, of which 1,152 electric taxis had completed licensing and were eligible for a subsidy of $45,000 each. A further 3,527 owners did not take part or did not reply. In the latest round of invitations, 1,343 owners did not reply before the deadline in early October. Part of the reason is that the economic environment has changed in recent years and owners are more cautious about investing, which is unrelated to the deadline and the choice of car models.