One Take Pass§The phrase “one take pass” is probably not proper English. It’s a common phrase you’ll hear in Hong Kong for taking any sort of exam or test; meaning to pass the exam on your first try.
If you’ve followed my weeknotes (W24, W30), you could work out I’ve been having lessons for about 2 months, once per week. Yesterday, I had my last 1.5h lesson and took the driving exam immediately afterwards (properly warmed up). The weather was actually dreadful, squally showers and it got really dark. But I’m happy to report that I passed, in the rainy weather! Luckily at the time of the exam, the rain eased off slightly.
I had a few, non-repeated minor mistakes and no major mistake. The rules are: repeating the same minor mistake 3+, or one major mistake is considered as a fail. The examiner was polite and professional which really put me at ease. I also got to drive in silence!
There’s always room for improvement though, and I hope to increase my experience while under the probationary year and have signed up for a few top-up lessons in a different area of Hong Kong to add to my bank of experience. Really looking forward to those!
I’m relieved to also say I’ve switched to another campus for the extra lessons; so adios to my substandard instructor! 👋 He actually continued with his mobile device usage, constant ringing and dinging of notifications, leaving voice messages, and replying calls despite my written request… ugh. I will be writing a letter of complaint to the HK School of Motoring.
About the Probationary Year§
Some random facts about the HK probationary (P) driving licence and general driving in HK:
- P drivers cannot go over 70 km/h on any road
- P drivers cannot drive on the offside lane of expressways/highways (HK drives on the left side of the road, so offside is the right-most lane)
- Any minor mistakes caught will lead to an extension of the probationary period by 6 months
- A second minor mistake or one major mistake will lead to cancellation of the P licence and retaking the exam
- The full driving licence can be issued on the spot at the Traffic Department offices; they are valid for 10 years and cost $900 HKD (~ $115 USD / €100 EUR)
Treats§
To celebrate, I treated myself to a coconut mango drink from Heytea and a Japanese-style beef hamburger patty lunch (they have free refills of fruit-infused water, soup, rice, and broccoli) at NikuNiku Oh!! Kome.
This morning, I celebrated by brewing a special coffee from KAWA (now known as TANAT)—El Paraíso #1 Colombia by Diego Samuel Bermudez, a double anaerobic fermentation Castilo from my freezer from 2023! It was just as I remembered; peachy notes and super aromatic (can’t go wrong with Finca El Paraíso and Bermudez’s coffees). Lastly, my Mom gifted me a new Longchamp backpack too, as a celebratory present for getting my driving licence (thanks Mom!) 🥰
Two-sided Driving?§
Here’s a rant about a new policy announced in mid-2025, where the HK government decided to allow China Mainland cars (which drive on the opposite side of the road!) to enter HK urban areas for up to three days.
Personally I find that baffling as HK roads are vastly different to the roads in the Mainland, the driving laws and rules are completely different (HK driving laws and design are similar to UK as it was under British colonial rule for over 150 years). Road signs are all in Traditional Chinese and English (but Mainland uses Simplified Chinese). Roads are significantly tighter and cramped in HK (it’s a very compact/dense city compared to the much bigger Chinese cities).
There’s reports and videos of Southbound drivers breaking the rules (perhaps unknowingly, but it’s still dangerous and wrong); like driving on the wrong side of the road, entering the roundabout anti-clockwise or getting onto a one-way bridge and they’re facing the wrong way.
There’s also no immediate distinctive plate on these Southbound cars that allows local HK drivers to identify them, so extra care can be taken when around them. No special colour, shape or syntax. They just have a normal looking licence plate, with the except of starting with two letters (FT) + four digits. But this is not obvious at all as HK has default plates that are usually in the same syntax, e.g. two letters + three or four digits. (There are custom licence plates, i.e., Personalized Vehicle Registration Marks Scheme, but I digress.)
Another issue is EV charging; most of the Southbound Mainland cars are EVs and their charging plug is not the one used in HK charging stations (I think they’re trying to fix this by adding support for the Mainland style plugs and building specific charging stations for these Southbound cars.)
HK is a small place and if they continue increasing the daily limit of Mainland cars driving into HK, it will put strain on the local system (lack of parking, charging spots, traffic jams). There was a limit of 100 vehicles per day since the start of this new policy, but just this week, the government is pushing for up to 200/day.
Another big issue is autonomous driving, allowed in the Mainland, but not in HK. There has been at least one video captured by locals that one of these Southbound vehicles were on a highway with no hands on the steering wheel.
// end rant
Links§
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