HONG KONG, November 17 — Aspiring drivers in Hong Kong face unexpectedly high costs due to standard driving school packages consistently falling short of recommended training hours, according to an investigation released today by the Consumer Council. The Council’s monthly journal, Choice, revealed that none of the basic course packages offered by 11 major driving schools met the Transport Department’s recommended 30 hours of practical driving instruction, often forcing students to pay significantly more than initially budgeted to gain necessary road experience.
The probe, conducted between June and October, examined 32 private car and light goods vehicle course packages. While these initial packages appear affordable, the necessity of purchasing supplemental hours—known locally as “top-up lessons”—drives the final expenditure substantially higher. For instance, the actual total cost to meet the 30-hour benchmark can exceed the price of the basic package by nearly 65%.
Significant Discrepancy Between Package Price and Reality
The Transport Department advises that novice drivers receive approximately 30 hours of street-level training to fully master basic skills and accumulate essential experience before their road test. However, the Consumer Council found dramatic variations in the practical hours offered, with all standard packages falling short of this guideline.
In one striking example involving automatic transmission private car courses in Kowloon and the New Territories, the total cost for a student to reach the recommended 30 hours was found to be drastically inflated. For a particular school whose package included merely 15.75 practical hours, the final expense rose to HK$17,218, marking a 63% increase over the original package price of HK$10,568. Similarly, another school’s total expenditure jumped by nearly 65% to HK$16,418 to achieve the same 30-hour goal.
The minimum training time observed in the investigation was a meager 10 hours included in one school’s cheapest economy package for Hong Kong Island, which equates to only about seven opportunities for road practice before the driving examination, highlighting the insufficient preparation offered by default courses. The package offering the most practice still only provided 27 hours and 45 minutes, still shy of the official recommendation.
Hidden Fees Further Complicate Cost Comparison
The complexity of comparing fees is compounded by certain schools excluding mandatory expenses, such as vehicle rental fees for lessons and road tests, or application processing charges, from the advertised course price. The Council had to standardize simulated scenarios—including tuition fees, top-up fees, vehicle rental, and institutional fees for handling Transport Department applications—to calculate the true 30-hour cost.
The primary implication is that consumers face significant unanticipated costs, potentially undermining confidence in the driving school industry. An accompanying quick survey of 324 members of the public further indicated widespread concern regarding the arrangements for driving instruction.
Council Calls for Greater Transparency and New Standardized Courses
To address this lack of transparency and budgeting uncertainty, the Consumer Council has urged the driving school sector to adopt several measures.
Key recommendations include:
- Standardized Fee Disclosure: Implementing a clearer mechanism for disclosing all mandatory and ancillary fees upfront.
- Revised Package Structures: Developing course packages that more closely align with the Transport Department’s 30-hour training recommendation.
- Enhanced Promotional Clarity: Making the total number of practical driving hours a prominent feature in course advertising and promotional materials.
These proactive steps, the Council argues, would empower consumers to make informed choices, reduce unexpected financial burdens, and ultimately bolster public trust in the professional driving instruction services. The onus is now on the driving school industry to modify its package offerings to reflect the actual training requirements for safe and proficient driving.
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