Hong Kong Driving Schools Criticized for High Fees and Inadequate Training

2 hours ago7 min read4 comments

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has delivered a scathing indictment of the city’s driving schools, exposing a systemic failure that preys on aspiring drivers through non-transparent fees and inadequate training. The Consumer Council’s announcement on Monday revealed a shocking city-wide pattern: all 32 basic courses offered by 11 driving schools failed to meet the Transport Department’s mandatory requirement of 30 hours of practical training.This deliberate shortfall creates a predatory cycle, forcing students—many of whom are young adults or low-income workers already stretching their budgets—to purchase exorbitantly priced extra lessons. In one particularly egregious case documented by the council, a school was found to be charging nearly double the originally quoted rate for these compulsory additional sessions, a practice that feels less like education and more like a financial trap.This isn't just a matter of bureaucratic non-compliance; it's a profound consumer rights crisis playing out on Hong Kong's congested streets. The consequences are tangible and terrifying.Inadequately trained drivers are being unleashed into one of the world's most dense and challenging urban driving environments, a recipe for increased accidents and public safety hazards. The council’s investigation suggests this is not an anomaly but a calculated business model, where schools lure customers with deceptively low upfront costs only to bleed them dry with hidden fees.This report arrives against a backdrop of growing economic pressure on Hong Kong's citizens, where the dream of personal mobility is being gatekept by institutions exploiting regulatory loopholes. The Transport Department's apparent inability to enforce its own standards raises urgent questions about oversight and accountability.Who is protecting the consumer when the system designed to ensure competency is so easily gamed? For the thousands of individuals who invest their time, savings, and hopes into obtaining a license each year, this revelation is a betrayal. It undermines trust in essential services and highlights a stark power imbalance between large service providers and individual citizens. The path forward demands more than just a sternly worded report; it requires immediate regulatory action, transparent pricing mandates, and perhaps a full audit of the licensing process to restore faith and ensure that getting a driver's license in Hong Kong is a test of skill, not a test of one's financial resilience.

#Consumer Council

#driving schools

#opaque fees

#training hours

#Transport Department

#extra lessons

#consumer rights

#featured

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