XN000022-1996-06-25 — Page 14

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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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