TAC ENDORSES TAXI FARE RISES
TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1993
THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TODAY (TUESDAY) ENDORSED FARE RISES FOR URBAN AND NEW TERRITORIES TAXIS ON ACCOUNT OF RISING OPERATING COSTS SINCE THEIR LAST FARR REVISIONS 20 MONTHS AGO.
MEMBERS HAVE CONSIDERED CAREFULLY THE APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY VARIOUS ТАХТ GROUPS AND A WIDE RANGE OF OPTIONS PRESENTED RY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT.
IN RECOMMENDING THE FARE INCREASES, CONSIDERATION WAS GIVEN TO THE FINANCIAL VIABILITY OF TAXI OPERATIONS, AVAILABILITY OF TAXIS, THE FARE DIFFERENTIAL WITH OTHER MODES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND PUBLIC
ACCEPTABILITY.
MEMBERS NOTED THAT INFLATION WAS EXPECTED TO HAVE INCREASED BY 17.5% BETWEEN JANUARY 1992 (THE DATE OF LAST FARE REVISION} AND NOVEMBER 1993 (THE DATE OF THE ANTICIPATED INCREASE)
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DURING THIS PERIOD, THE OPERATING COSTS OF URBAN TAXIS WOULD HAVE INCREASED BY 16.2% AND THE OPERATING COSTS OF NT TAXIS, BY 22.3%
AS A RESULT, THIS HAD MADE TRAVELLING ON A TAXI COMPARATIVELY CHEAPER. IN SOME CASES, IT WOULD COST EVEN LESS TO TRAVEL ON A TAXI ON A SHARED BASIS THAN ON OTHER PUBLIC TRANSPORT MODES AND THUS REDUCE THE AVAILABILITY OF TAXIS.
HAVING TAKEN ALL THESE FACTORS INTO ACCOUNT, TAC HAD RECOMMENDED AN AVERAGE INCREASE OF 17.7% FOR URBAN TAXIS AND 19.2% FOR NT TAXIS. THIS TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE FACT THAT THE OPERATING COSTS OF NT TAXIS HAD INCREASED FASTER THAN THOSE OF URBAN TAXIS.
IF THE ADVICE OF THE TAC IS ACCEPTED, THE URBAN TAXI FLAGFALL WILL GO UP FROM $9 TO $11.5 FOR THE FIRST 2 KM WITH BACH SUBSEQUENT METER JUMP FROM $0.9 TO $1 FOR 0.2 KM.
RATE
THE NT TAXI FLAGFALL RATE WILL GO UP FROM $8 TO $10 AND EACH SUBSEQUENT JUMP FROM $0.8 TO $0.9.
SUBJECT ΤΟ THE APPROVAL OF AGREEMENT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, NEW FARES IN NOVEMBER 1993.
THE
GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL AND IT IS INTENDED TO INTRODUCE THE
ON
THE COMMITTEE ALSO DISCUSSED MEASURES TO IMPROVE AVAILABILITY OF METERED PARKING SPACES AND THE REPORT OF THE TAC WORKING GROUP THE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT STUDY (RDS).
ON
ON-STREET METERED PARKING, MEMBERS NOTED THAT A TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SURVEY SHOWED THAT PARKING SPACES WERE FULLY OCCUPIED DURING MOST TIMES OF THE DAY IN BUSY AREAS SUCH AS CAUSEWAY BAY, CENTRAL, TSIM SHA TSUI, YAU MA TEI AND MONG KOK.
THIS HAD LED TO AN INCREASE IN TRAFFIC CONGESTION AS SOME VEHICLES CIRCULATED IN THESE AREAS IN SEARCH OF A PARKING SPACE.
/TO IMPROVE