THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1979
NEW TAXI FARES AND TO COME INTO
NEW LAWS TO REDUCE TAXI MALPRACTICES EFFECT ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 20
*****
THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR. ALAN ARMSTRONG-WRIGHT ANNOUNCED TODAY (THURSDAY) THAT THE NEW TAXI FARES AND THE NEW REGULATIONS TO REDUCE TAXI MALPRACTICES WILL COME INTO EFFECT ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 20.
THE NEW FARES FOR URBAN TAXIS WILL BE $2.50 FOR THE FIRST MILE AND 50 CENTS FOR EACH SUBSEQUENT ONE-FIFTH OF A MILE WITH WAITING TIME CHARGED AT 50 CENTS FOR EVERY TWO-AND-A-HALF MINUTES.
NEW TERRITORIES TAXI FARES WILL BE INCREASED TO $1.50 FOR THE FIRST MILE AND 30 CENTS FOR EVERY SUBSEQUENT ONE-FIFTH OF A MILE WITH WAITING TIME CHARGED AT 30 CENTS FOR EVERY TWO-AND-A-HALF MINUTES.
MR. ARMSTRONG-WRIGHT SAID: +EVERY TAXI IS BEING ISSUED WITH AN OFFICIAL CONVERSION TABLE SHOWING THE OLD AND NEW TAXI FARES. THESE CONVERSION TABLES APPLY ONLY TO METERS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RECALIBRATED AND WILL BE WITHDRAWN BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT AS AND WHEN EACH TAXI HAS ITS METER RECALIBRATED.+
THE COMMISSIONER SAID THERE ARE CURRENTLY 6,969 URBAN TAXIS AND 738 NEW TERRITORIES TAXIS AND THAT ALL THESE TAXIS SHOULD HAVE THE IR METERS RECALIBRATED WITHIN SIX MONTHS.
HE SAID: +TAXI PASSENGERS CAN EASILY TELL IF THEY ARE TRAVELLING IN AN URBAN TAXI WITH A RECALIBRATED METER, BECAUSE A RECALIBRATED METER WILL SHOW A FLAG FALL OF $2.50 INSTEAD OF $2.00 AND WILL JUMP 50 CENTS FOR EVERY UNIT INSTEAD OF 20 CENTS.
→IN THE CASE OF NEW TERRITORIES TAXIS, A RECALIBRATED METER WILL SHOW A $1.50 FLAG FALL AND WILL JUMP 30 CENTS FOR EVERY UNIT.+
MR. ARMSTRONG-WRIGHT SAID THE VEHICULAR FERRY FEE AND LION ROCK TUNNEL TOLL FOR TAXIS WILL BE BROUGHT INTO LINE WITH THOSE CURRENTLY IN FORCE FOR THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL COMPANY.
FROM SATURDAY, PASSENGERS IN TAXIS CROSSING THE HARBOUR ON VEHICULAR FERRIES OR JOURNEYING IN TAXIS THROUGH THE LION ROCK TUNNEL WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY A SURCHARGE OF TWICE THE FERRY FEE OR TUNNEL TOLL INSTEAD OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF SPECIFIED CHARGES.
TURNING TO THE NEW TAXI REGULATIONS, MR. ARMSTRONG-WRIGHT SAID THEIR PURPOSE WAS TO IMPROVE TAXI SERVICES AND TO PROVIDE FOR STIFFER SANCTIONS AGAINST TAXI DRIVERS WHO ENGAGE IN MALPRACTICES.
!
THE CHIEF STAFF