82-year-old taxi driver denies swearing at teen and refusing to issue receipt

An 82-year-old taxi driver, Yen Ken-hoi, appeared in Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday (Dec 24), denying charges of behaving in an uncivil or disorderly manner and refusing to issue a taxi fare receipt.

The case involves a 16-year-old passenger alleging that the driver swore at him and refused to issue a receipt during a trip in Sham Shui Po in September last year.

The teen told the court that at around 2am on September 21, 2024, he boarded a taxi on Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po, requesting a ride to Lai Kok Estate. When he suggested a route, the driver allegedly said: “Stop nagging, I know the way.”

The passenger said he later asked the driver to speed up, but the driver responded: “Stop nagging, I’ve got plenty of money; I won’t charge you an extra dollar.” Feeling the driver was deliberately slow, the passenger asked to be taken to Sham Shui Po Police Station instead.

Upon arrival, the teen asked the driver to stop the meter, which showed about HK$66. He said the driver continued swearing and refused to provide a receipt after he paid HK$100.

The driver denied the allegations, saying the printer ran out of paper and that he had not used abusive language. “If I had plenty of money, I wouldn’t be working nights; I’d just sleep,” he told the court.

Deputy Magistrate Christine Leung Wan-chong adjourned the case for judgment next Monday (Dec 29).