SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1936
7
LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF TAX IS ANNOUNCED
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LIMITS ON THE NUMBER OF THE THREE TYPES OF TAXIS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN DECIDED BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL AND THE FIGURES WOULD BE REVIEWED EVERY TWO YEARS.
ANNOUNCING THIS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT BRANCH SAID THAT THE PRESENT MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUE OF NEW LICENCES FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES AND LANTAU TAXIS WOULD CONTINUE FOR TWO YEARS UNTIL JULY 1988 WHILE NEW LICENCES FOR URBAN AREA TAXIS WOULD BE RESTRICTED TO 200 PER YEAR FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
THIS WILL BRING THE NUMBER OF MOTOR VEHICLES WHICH MAY BE REGISTERED AS TAXIS TO 14 400 IN THE URBAN AREAS WHILE THE RESPECTIVE FIGURES FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES AND ON LANTAU WILL REMAIN AT 2 638 AND 40.
EXPLAINING THE RATIONALE BEHIND THE DECISION, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE NEW LIMITS WERE IMPOSED AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF THE FINDINGS BY AN INTER-DEPARTMENTAL WORK ING GROUP SET UP IN DECEMBER 1985 TO CONDUCT A REVIEW ON THE CURRENT LIMITS ON TAXIS.
+RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE LIMITS ON TAXI NUMBERS WERE MADE IN REGARD TO THE LEVEL OF TAXI SERVICE, THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE TAXI TRADE AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS,+ HE SAID,
ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE TAXI NUMBERS WERE ADEQUATE TO PROVIDE A SATISFACTORY SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC, THE WORKING GROUP FOUND A SLIGHT DETERIORATION IN THE HEADWAY OF VACANT TAXIS IN KOWLOON FROM 1.8 MINUTES IN 1983 TO 2,4 MINUTES IN 1986 WHILE TAXI AVAILABILITY ON HONG KONG ISLAND IMPROVED FROM 3.7 MINUTES IN 1983 TO 2.2 MINUTES IN 1986. THIS IMPROVEMENT MAY HOWEVER BE RELATED TO THE OPENING OF THE MTR ISLAND LINE.
THE TAXI AVAILABILITY SITUATION IN THE NEW TERRITORIES REMAINED MORE OR LESS THE SAME WHILE VACANT TAXI HEADWAY ON LANTAU IMPROVED FROM 41 MINUTES IN 1984 TO 38 MINUTES IN 1985.
AS FOR THE UTILISATION RATE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE PROPORTION OF OCCUPIED TAXIS IN THE URBAN AREA AND THE NEW TERRITORIES HAD IMPROVED SLIGHTLY OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS WHILE THAT OF LANTAU TAXIS HAD DECREASED SINCE 1984.
CONCERNING THE PROFITABILITY OF TAXI OPERATION, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF URBAN AREA TAXIS HAD IMPROVED SINCE 1983 BUT THAT OF NEW TERRITORIES AND LANTAU TAXIS WAS NOT SATISFACTORY.
WITH REGARD TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TAXIS AND ROAD CONDITIONS, THE 1984 ANNUAL TRAFFIC CENSUS INDICATED THAT TAXIS WERE THE SECOND MAJOR ROAD USER AFTER PRIVATE CARS DURING PEAK HOURS AND THE MAJOR ROAD USER DURING OFF-PEAK HOURS.
/THE FAJT