> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # From Newsroom to Driver's Seat: How Doris Leung Built Hong Kong's First Wheelchair-Accessible Taxi Service - URL: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/women-who-lead/from-newsroom-to-drivers-seat-how-doris-leung-built-hong-kongs-first-wheelchair-accessible-taxi-service/ - Published: 2026-08-25T07:12:20.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-25T07:12:20.000Z - Author: Editorial team - Tags: Women Who Lead Doris Leung spent years reporting other people's stories as a broadcast journalist in Hong Kong. Then her own mother became a wheelchair user, and Doris saw firsthand what she calls a "serious and unacceptable social injustice": elders and caregivers left with no safe, legal option for wheelchair transport, forced instead into unregulated vans with no hygiene standards and unpredictable fares. Rather than keep covering the story, she decided to become it. In 2o09 she left journalism to found [Diamond Cab](https://diamondcab.com.hk/?ref=foundedbywomen.org), Hong Kong's first professional wheelchair-accessible taxi service, building not just a fleet but an entire career path for drivers trained in what she calls "Driving with Empathy." Sixteen-plus years later, that fleet has grown alongside partnerships like Joie Taxi, and the mission has expanded well beyond Hong Kong: Diamond Cabby now operates in the UK, Diamond Tech is turning veteran drivers' skills into scalable training systems, and the Diamond Cab Foundation extends the service to those who can't afford it. In this interview, Doris talks about the partnership that made scaling possible without buying a single new vehicle, what she tells founders trying to build a business around a problem nobody else is solving, and where the Diamond brand goes next. > Know a founder (or are one) doing incredible work? **Founded by Women Awards** are open for entries. If you're building something bold, leading with purpose, or driving change in your industry, we'd love for you to enter. 👉 [foundedbywomen.org/awards](https://www.foundedbywomen.org/awards/) --- ### Q: You were working as a broadcast journalist when your mother became a wheelchair user, and that experience led you to found Diamond Cab. What made you decide to leave journalism and build the service yourself rather than campaign for someone else to do it? As the professional and legal wheelchair accessible taxi market was underdeveloped for decades in Hong Kong while the similar transportation services provided by the social welfare organizations are not user friendly and convenient to meet the huge aging care market, there are popular illegal vans which transport the printers, machines, buckets, etc with a mechanic platform at the back make illegal wheelchair passenger transportation business. I found this is serious and unacceptable social injustice as the elders and the care takers have NO CHOICE but have to pay for an unreasonable fare to take high risks and suffer from bad hygiene in these illegal vans. Once my beloved mum had to take the illegal van for wheelchair passengers once, my heart was broken as she is really deserved to have a much better professional Diamond Cab! I truly understand the economics, ONLY when we have built a new reliable, flexible and affordable wheelchair transportation service, these illegal van services can be marginalized and diminished gradually. Instead of reporting this social injustice issue as a TV journalist, I better roll up my sleeves to make the Diamond Cab fleet happen together with my passionate team mates. After 16+ years, we have achieved to create the wheelchair taxi ecosystem sustainably and successfully. A wheelchair taxi driver is a profession that can be well-trained and have career path in Hong Kong Felix Ng, the young Diamond Cab driver has leant about Diamond Cab in his primary school journey as he lived near the hospital. Then he studied Civil Engineering in the university and picked the subject of Transportation Engineering which recalled and inspired him the historical role of Diamond Cab in the history of taxi in Hong Kong. After graduation, Felix finished the Driving with Empathy Training Course and becomes a part-time Diamond Cab driver as his first job! Now Felix joined us as Operations and Administration Officer, supporting the operations and business development of Diamond Cab. The upcoming Student Experiential Learning Course for Driving with Empathy is organized by Felix, a great bold move for our business development in education and parental market. Starting up Diamond Cab is not just serving the wheelchair passengers including my beloved mum, but also nurturing the young generations with empathy to serve our rapid aging populations with endless energy and creativity. I love social venture because its double bottom lines of creating social impact by making business are really impactful and sustainable in changing the imperfect world. ### Q: Diamond Cab was the first wheelchair-accessible taxi service of its kind in Hong Kong, and it inspired others to follow. What was the hardest part of getting it off the ground, and what would you tell someone trying to build a business around a social problem nobody else is solving? In Hong Kong, taxi and taxi licenses are private assets owned by individuals or companies. Each taxi license is valued millions Hong Kong dollars which can be traded in the free market. To be honest, nearly all taxi owners in Hong Kong are selfish or not rich enough to start the challenging Diamond Cab business partnering with me. We are so lucky to have met Tai Wo Motors decision makers and get their support to create an unprecedented wheelchair taxi transportation market with much taxi rent discount, knowledge and network support. Tai Wo team is not only my pioneering partner, then become the main investor and shareholder, now the taxi fleet partner Joie Taxi. Diamond Cab does not need to buy the new wheelchair accessible vehicles to scale up, we just need to focus on professional training and managing our wheelchair taxis with our service standard. Now Diamond Cab and Joie Taxi have become the market leader not limited to wheelchair accessible taxi in Hong Kong and after collaborating more than a year, we started the new Retraining course for our existing wheelchair taxi drivers, guarantees to keep our Diamond grade wheelchair taxi transportation service. So I think how to find a really compatible and long lasting partner in the industry who has vision and much resources o grow with the social venture is the key factor to success. Mission has to been aligned and win-win-win scenarios can then be created and sustained. This happy marriage of commercial and social business mode needs to be well managed from time to time, making sure the changing market benefits both parties in the long run. ### Q: You’ve since launched Diamond Cabby in the UK, Diamond Tech, and the Diamond Cab Foundation. What’s next, and how do you decide which new venture is worth pursuing? Each Diamond branded company has its own mission and focus but interacts with each other to maximize the available resources for scaling the impact and sustainability. **Diamond Cab Hong Kong** innovates the first wheelchair accessible taxi service and caters for the middle class family market. **Diamond Cab Foundation** gathers donations to support the underprivileged wheelchair users so they enjoy the same Diamond Cab services. **Diamond Tech** computerizes the excellent driving skills of empathy of veteran Diamond Cab drivers then we can train up our next generations with scientific and systematic training courses. **Diamond Cabby UK** extends the mission of Diamond Cab Hong Kong with our fruitful operation experience and creates new empathetic transportation service market in Europe. My vision is to start in Manchester, then other cities in the UK, followed by more cities in other European countries. As long as we can recruit, train and retain the empathetic drivers like the 80+ ones in Hong Kong, we can keep scaling our Diamonds! > Are you a woman leader with an inspiring story? Founded by Women elevates the voices of women making an impact. > Breaking barriers or paving the way for others? We'd love to feature you. Get in touch! 👉 [hi@foundedbywomen.org](mailto:hi@foundedbywomen.org)