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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1979
THE SAME HAPPENS TO THE LOWER-INCOME GROUPS WHEN THEY TAKE PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES WHICH HAVE INCREASED FARES BY 50 CENTS TO AS MUCH AS $2 ON CERTAIN ROUTES AT PEAK HOURS OR WHENEVER THE OPERATORS THINK THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT, FOLLOWING UP ON THE HIGH TAXI FARES,
+WHY SHOULD THERE BE LAISSEZ FAIRE FOR THE PLBS AND STIFF CONTROL FOR THE TAXIS? IN THIS RESPECT, GOVERNMENT'S ANSWER IS FOUND WANTING,+ MR. CHEONG-LEEN SAID.
AS FOR BUS SERVICES, HE SAID HE HAD RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE PROMISE THAT A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF NEW BUSES WOULD BE ARRIVING WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO.
EVEN WITH THE BEST EFFORTS ON THE PART OF THE BUS COMPANIES, THIS WILL PROBABLY NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE CURRENT WAVE OF STRIKES IN BRITAIN. FURTHERMORE, HE SAID, IN THREE YEARS THE POPULATION WILL HAVE SWOLLEN TO OVER FIVE MILLION.
TIME,
MR. CHEONG-LEEN URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO INITIATE A REVIEW
OF THE SITUATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, RATHER THAN WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THIS YEAR, TO DO SO IS JUST A WAY OF SAYING TO THE PUBLIC: +YOU WILL ALL HAVE TO GET USED TO SUCH FARES BY THAT TIME,+ HE SAID.
HE SAID THERE WAS ALSO, RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY, A WIDESPREAD PUBLIC FEELING THAT THE SEVERE INCREASE IN TAXI FARES HAS STIMULATED MORE INFLATION AND HIGHER LIVING COSTS, PARTICULARLY FOR THE MIDDLE AND LOWER INCOME GROUPS.
+LET US NOT FORGET, HE SAID, THAT IN THE HONG KONG ENVIRONMENT, TAXIS ARE NOT ONLY FOR THE WELL-TO-DO, BUT ALSO FOR THE MAN-IN-THE-STREET WHEN HE GOES HOME LATE OR WHEN HE HAS TO GO SOMEWHERE IN A HURRY.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE CURRENT TAXI FARES, IF REDUCED, +CAN ALWAYS BE READJUSTED SLIGHTLY UPWARDS NEXT YEAR IF AFTER MONITORING SUCH IS FOUND NECESSARY.+
MISS BENNETT, IN SUPPORTING MR. CHEONG-LEEN, SAID THE STEEP RISE IN TAXI FARES WAS CONTRARY TO ACCEPTED GOVERNMENT POLICY ON PRICE INCREASES AND WILL GREATLY ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO BUY THEIR OWN CARS AND INCREASE THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES ON THE ROADS.
SHE SAID THE INCREASE FOR SHORT JOURNEYS WAS REASONABLE. FOR LONGER JOURNEYS, HOWEVER, THE INCREASE FOR THE OLD $5 FARE WAS 100 PER CENT, FÖR THE OLD $7 FARE 114 PER CENT, AND THE OLD $8 FARE 118 PER CENT.
+THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO SPONSOR. I AM NOT SURPRISED TO HEAR THE PUBLIC FEARS OTHER PRICES WILL RISE IN SIMILAR PROPORTIONS. THE SPECTRE OF A HIGHER RATE OF INFLATION STALKS THE ROADS OF HONG KONG IN THE WAKE OF THESE INCREASES, SHE SAID.
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