(b)
(c)
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15
whether the Transport Department has studied the reasons for the 50% increase in taxi licence premium over the last year; and
of the measures to be adopted by the Transport Department to curb the soaring taxi licence premium?
Reply:
Mr President,
In order to improve services and to tackle the problem of speculation in taxi licences, the Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) recommended in its 1994 Taxi Policy Review the following five measures:
(a) There should be no pre-set quota on the number of taxi licences to be
issued in a given period of time.
(b)
Taxi licences should be issued as and when necessary, having regard to the demand for taxi services, the financial viability of the trade and the capacity of our road system.
(c)
In a public tender exercise for taxi licences, an applicant should be permitted to bid for only one licence.
(d)
New taxi licences should not be transferable within 12 months after the
date of issue.
(e)
Procedures for the transfer of taxi licences should be tightened by requiring both the transferor and transferee to register the transfer in
person.
Since the publication of the 1994 Taxi Policy Review Report, all these measures have been implemented:
(a)
(b)
In July 1994, the Road Traffic Ordinance was amended to empower the Commissioner for Transport to prohibit the transfer of the ownership of a newly licensed taxi for an initial period.
In July 1994, the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations were amended to require all transfers of taxi licences to be registered in person at Transport Department's Licensing Offices. All transfers of taxi licences are now required to be registered by the transferor and the transferee in person.
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(c)