XN000022-1997-04-18 — Page 26

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Taxi receipts can take one of the following forms:

numeric items with explanatory notes in both Chinese and English on the back

simplified Chinese items with English explanation on the back

both simplified Chinese and English items

The Chinese characters, English letters and numbers should not be less than two millimetres high and be printed in black or blue,

"The receipt must be printed within 12 seconds so as not to cause traffic delay and inconvenience to the passengers.

"However, in the event of the printing device being out of order, drivers will have to issue a hand-written fare receipt in a prescribed form on demand," he continued.

The hand-written taxi fare receipt contains such information as taxi number, date of journey, time of journey ends, fare shown on the meter, surcharges if any, total taxi fare and name of the driver.

For non-compliance with the requirement of installation of a fare receipt printing device in a taxi, the owner shall be liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and six months' imprisonment.

While a taxi driver fails to issue a fare receipt to a passenger on demand if the taxi is fitted with a printing device, he shall be liable to a maximum fine of $5,000 plus a six-month jail term.

The new requirements were recommended in the 1994 Taxi Policy Review conducted by the Transport Advisory Committee.

End