“I have been a taxi driver for 22 years. My dad was a taxi driver as well, so I just followed his footsteps. Back in the booming days I would work from 3am to 9pm! The best rides of course are the ones to and from the airport. Business has been tough this year, we make about 30% of what we used to. Nowadays nobody is travelling, going to school or work - but there has been an increase in customers getting early morning rides to go hiking.There are 18,000 taxis in Hong Kong, 14,000 of which are red taxis. We red taxis can go anywhere in the city; we have this privilege because the taxi licence is more expensive, whereas green taxis are restricted to the New Territories and blue taxis to Lantau. All taxis look the same, but it was just an oddity leftover from the colonial days - there is actually no legal requirement for taxis to only be Toyota cars, it just takes much longer to licence other makes of cars as taxis. These new taxis are much more comfortable to drive in. Hong Kong is the only place in the world that has 5-seater taxis, but they don’t make them anymore so they will eventually disappear. Taxi drivers have a reputation for being grumpy, but I have to say, it is a very stressful line of work. We are always rushing and sit all day in a car with no one to talk to - it can get extremely boring! It’s always refreshing when customers chit chat with me.” 

「我揸咗的士廿二年了，我老豆以前都係揸的士嘅，所以就跟咗佢入行。以前好景嗰陣，我由凌晨三點開到夜晚九點呀﹗最好做就梗係去機場嗰啲單啦。今年真係好難做，我哋淨係做到平日嘅三成生意，而家冇人去旅行，返學或者返工都少，不過就多咗啲朝早搭的士嘅行山客囉。全香港有18,000部的士，其中有14,000部係「紅的」。我哋揸「紅的」嘅，邊度都去得，因為個牌貴啲。「綠的」就淨係准喺新界行，「藍的」就喺大嶼山。的士個款部部都一樣，呢個其實只係殖民時期留落嚟嘅，冇法例規定的士一定要用豐田啲車㗎，只不過如果用其他牌子嘅車，出個牌就要等好耐囉。呢啲新的士好揸好多呀。全世界得香港一個地方有五座位的士，不過啲廠都唔再出喇，所以都係會慢慢消失。的士司機係出咗名有脾氣，不過我要同你講，做呢行真係好大壓力，我哋成日都趕嚟趕去，坐喺㗎車度成日都冇人同你講嘢，可以話係沉悶至極﹗所以一有客人同我吹水，我就好醒神。」

 「我開始揸的士嗰陣，個起錶價係15蚊，呢廿年嚟都冇話加得好多，肯定追唔到通脤同樓價啦。過去咁多年，我咩人都見識過。試過有一班細路，我車咗佢哋去好遠之後，佢哋全部跳哂落車，跑走咗亦冇俾錢。有時啲人會心情好差，試過有個女人一上車就話：『唔好同我講嘢，如果唔係我會發癲。』當然都有啲乘客好友善好好傾。每次我俾返啲客佢哋唔見咗嘅嘢嗰一刻，我都覺得好窩心，乜嘢都漏得喺的士㗎：電腦、電話、相機、旅行證件、衫褲……你講得出嘅都有﹗有時你會聽到我哋用個好似對講機咁嘅嘢溝通，其實我哋係同其他司機吹緊水或者問緊路。喺香港地揸車唔易㗎，條街咁窄，又多人。要做個好嘅的士司機，你要記性夠好，記得哂啲九曲十三彎同埋橫街。我會慎重建議大家過馬路真係唔好掛住睇手機，安全第一呀﹗」

「你可能會發現，下晝四五點嗰段時間係最難搵車嘅，因為我哋嗰陣交緊更。我哋食飯啲時間好唔定，成日都要兜嚟兜去，所以一有時間停低部車，我哋咪快快脆抖下，去個廁所，飲杯嘢食啲嘢咁。當你日日係咁揸足咁多個鐘，真係發夢都會諗住自己揸緊車﹗有次半夜，我喺張床度訓訓下，突然喺度嗌『就到喇﹗就到喇﹗』，搞到我太太都唔知發生咩事。不過佢以前都係揸的士嘅，所以佢可以明白。佢真係好好㗎，無論我幾夜收工，佢都會等埋我先煮飯，陪我一齊食。我成日坐喺度，所以都要郁下個人，我會喺屋企附近慢跑，由沙田跑去馬鞍山。我好少放假，真係有得抖嗰陣，我鍾意同啲仔女同埋三粒孫去飲茶，其中兩個仲係孖生添﹗見到佢哋就乜都抵返哂。」