Hong Kong Taxi Written Test key terms

The red taxi licensed to pick up passengers throughout Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, except roads where access is restricted; it charges the highest of the three taxi fare scales.

A green taxi whose hiring area is mainly the New Territories, with limited permission to serve specified urban locations such as the airport; it uses a lower fare scale than an urban taxi.

A blue taxi restricted to Lantau Island and the roads designated for it, serving places such as Tung Chung and the airport; it may not operate in urban Kowloon or on Hong Kong Island.

A journey that takes the taxi between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon or the New Territories through a harbour tunnel, which affects the route chosen and adds tunnel tolls to the fare.

A zone, such as the Frontier Closed Area, where entry is restricted by law; a taxi may not drive into it or pick up passengers there without the permit required for that area.

Islands other than Lantau, for example Cheung Chau, Lamma and Peng Chau, where no taxis operate; journeys there need a ferry and cannot be made by taxi.

The airport at Chek Lap Kok, reached by road through Lantau; it has a designated taxi station where the different taxi types pick up passengers under queueing rules.

The most direct route to the destination that can reasonably be driven, which a taxi driver must take unless the passenger agrees to a different route.

A road tunnel under Victoria Harbour linking Hong Kong Island with Kowloon, used on harbour-crossing trips; the tunnel chosen affects distance, traffic delay and the toll payable.

The basic rule that in Hong Kong vehicles drive on the left side of the road, so a driver stays in the left lane and overtakes on the right.

A pair of continuous white lines along the centre of the road that must not be crossed; where the line nearest the driver is continuous, crossing or overtaking is prohibited.

Two yellow lines along the kerb meaning no stopping at any time, so a taxi may not pick up or set down passengers where they are painted.

Markings near pedestrian crossings: white zig-zags prohibit parking and overtaking, while yellow zig-zags mean no stopping at any time, so a taxi cannot pick up there.

A yellow criss-crossed area at a junction that a driver must not enter unless the exit is clear, so that the taxi does not block crossing traffic.

A pedestrian crossing marked with black and white stripes where pedestrians have priority; a driver must slow down and stop to let them cross.

A circular junction where traffic travels in one direction; in Hong Kong a driver gives way to vehicles already on the roundabout that are approaching from the right.

A simple way of keeping a safe gap: after the vehicle ahead passes a fixed point, at least two seconds should pass before the taxi reaches the same point.

Points added to a driver's record for specified traffic offences; a taxi driver who accumulates 15 points within two years is disqualified from driving.

A lane set aside for buses during the hours shown on the signs; taxis may use it only where the sign or road marking expressly permits them to do so.

The permit issued by the Transport Department for a vehicle to be used as a taxi; it records the vehicle's particulars, seating capacity and conditions and must be current for the taxi to be hired.

A card bearing the driver's name and photograph, issued with the taxi driver's licence, which the driver must display inside the vehicle where passengers can see it.

A seal fitted to the taximeter by the authorities so that any tampering is visible; breaking or altering the seal, or adjusting the meter, is an offence.

An offence committed when a taxi driver, without reasonable excuse, declines a hiring, for example by ignoring a hail or refusing a short or unpopular journey.

Demanding or accepting more than the metered fare plus the surcharges allowed by law; it is an offence and a common subject of passenger complaints.

The maximum number of passengers the taxi is licensed to carry, as shown on the vehicle licence; carrying more than that number is an offence.

Compulsory motor insurance that covers injury to other road users and to passengers; a taxi may not be used for hire unless this cover is in force.

A designated roadside area, marked by signs and road markings, where taxis wait in a queue for passengers and where passengers should board.

Property a passenger leaves in the taxi, which the driver must hand to the police as soon as reasonably practicable instead of keeping it or throwing it away.

The legal prohibition on smoking inside taxis, which are public transport carriers; a driver who smokes in the vehicle or allows smoking there commits an offence.

A taxi fitted with a ramp or lift and wheelchair restraints so that a passenger can travel seated in a wheelchair; the driver should offer appropriate assistance.

Approaching or calling out to people in the street or at terminals to persuade them to take the driver's taxi; touting of this kind is an offence.

The device in the taxi that calculates the fare from distance travelled and waiting time and displays the amount payable; the driver must start it at the beginning of the journey.

The fixed starting amount shown on the meter when a hiring begins, which covers the first part of the journey before distance or waiting charges are added.

An amount added by the meter when the taxi is held up in traffic or is waiting at the passenger's request, charged at a set rate per unit of time.

A prescribed extra charge for each piece of baggage the driver has to carry, for example in the luggage compartment, added on top of the metered fare.

An extra prescribed charge added to the fare when the taxi is obtained through a telephone or radio booking service rather than being hailed in the street.

A written record of the fare that a driver must give when a passenger asks for one, showing the amount paid and identifying the taxi so that any complaint can be traced.

Payment of the fare with a stored-value Octopus card; acceptance by taxis is optional, so drivers who take it display a sign and passengers should check before the journey ends.

The charge for driving through a tunnel, which the passenger pays on top of the metered fare; the amount depends on which tunnel is used.