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This will require taxi operators/drivers to install a printer which is capable of producing receipts containing the following information:
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registration number of the taxi;
date and time when the journey starts; date and time when the journey ends;
total distance travelled;
distance over which a distance rate is charged;
waiting time over which a time rate is charged;
surcharges, if any, and
total taxi fare.
The spokesman said these information should be printed in simplified Chinese characters in full or in a simplified form with each item of the above information being denoted by a number.
An explanatory note for the fare receipt items in Chinese and English will be required to display inside a taxi to avoid confusion.
The receipt must be printed within 12 seconds so as not to cause traffic delay and inconvenience to the passengers.
The spokesman said: "This duration is considered appropriate because it is roughly the time being taken by a passenger to settle the fare."
The spokesman noted that a receipt printer could be an integral part of a taxi- meter or be added onto some existing taxi-meters now being used in taxis.
Depending on the type of printer chosen, the capital cost of a printer will be ranged from $1,000 to $6,000, which forms only a small proportion for the operating cost of a taxi.
On the related recurrent expenses, the cost of consumable, including paper and ribbon, is estimated to be about $15 per month.
The spokesman said a hand-written receipt using a pre-printed form could be used to replace the receipt in times when the receipt printer was malfunction.
The pre-printed form will show similar information as a receipt with the addition of the name of the driver and transport complaint hotline number.
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