XN000022-1980-09-23 — Page 2

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1980

TAXI FARES RISE

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TAXI FARES WILL BE RAISED BY AN AVERAGE OF 28 PER CENT ON OCTOBER 19 BECAUSE OF HIGHER OPERATING COSTS, PARTICULARLY IN THE CASE OF FUEL.

AND THE FLEETS OF TAXIS IN THE URBAN AREA AND THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL BE EXPANDED OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.

THE RATE OF THE FARE INCREASE WAS DECIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT AFTER CONSIDERING SUBMISSIONS BY SEVERAL TAXI OPERATORS'

ASSOCIATIONS.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TAXI FARES HAD REMAINED UNCHANGED SINCE JANUARY 1979 AND OPERATING COSTS, OVER WHICH OPERATORS HAD LITTLE CONTROL, HAD INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY SINCE THAT TIME.

+THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN EVIDENCED BY THE NECESSARY REVISION OF VARIOUS OTHER PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARES IN THE PAST 20 MONTHS, + HE ADDED.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE NEW FARE SCALE WOULD BE BASED ON KILOMETRES RATHER THAN MILES. HOWEVER, HE REFUTED REPORTS THAT THE INCREASE WAS CAUSED BY METRICATION.

+ANY CHANGE IN TAXI FARES NECESSITATES THE RECALIBRATION OF METERS. METRICATION WOULD ALSO INVOLVE RECALIBRATION SO THE OPPORTUNITY IS BEING TAKEN TO DO THE TWO THINGS TOGETHER,+ THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED.

HE STRESSED THAT THE SWITCH TO KILOMETRES WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S METRICATION POLICY AND HAD NOT, IN ITSELF, CONTRIBUTED TO THE LEVEL OF THE FARE INCREASE. THE SWITCH HAD ALSO BEEN AGREED TO BY THE TAXI OPERATORS.

IN THE URBAN AREA, THE NEW FLAGFALL FARE WILL BE $4 FOR THE FIRST TWO KILOMETRES, COMPARED WITH THE EXISTING FARE OF $2.50 FOR THE FIRST MILE OR 1.6 KILOMETRES.

THE SUBSEQUENT RATE WILL BE 50 CENTS FOR ONE-QUARTER OF A KILOMETRE, COMPARED WITH THE EXISTING FARE OF 50 CENTS FOR ONE- FIFTH OF A MILE OF ONE-THIRD OF A KILOMETRE.

BASED ON THE SAME DISTANCES, THE NEW CHARGES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WILL BE A FLAGFALL FARE OF $2.40 AND A SUBSEQUENT RATE OF 30 CENTS, COMPARED WITH THE EXISTING RATES OF $1.50 AND 30 CENTS RESPECTIVELY.

ADDITIONAL FARES, SUCH AS THE CHARGES FOR WAITING TIME AND TUNNEL TOLLS, WILL NOT BE AFFECTED.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID WHILE THE INCREASE IN THE FLAGFALL FARE MIGHT APPEAR LARGE, IT WAS FOR A LONGER DISTANCE.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW FARE SCALE WILL INVOLVE THE RECALIBRATION OR REPLACEMENT OF MORE THAN 9 000 METERS AND IS EXPECTED TO TAKE ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

/DURING THE