XN000022-1997-04-25 — Page 21

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Tender results for new Lantau taxi licences announced

The Transport Department today (Friday) announced the results of the latest tender exercise for 10 new Lantau taxi licences.

A total of 177 bids offering premiums ranging from $1,001 to $2,378,000 were received in this tendering exercise in March.

Details of the successful tenderers and the premiums they offered were published in the Government Gazette today.

Speaking on the tender results, a spokesman for the department said: "The highest and lowest bids accepted are $2,378,000 and $2,275,000 respectively.

"The average accepted premium is $2,320,909 while the average premium for the last tender was $18,400."

The last tender exercise for Lantau taxis was in January 1985 when 10 licences were issued.

The current tender exercise was the second of its kind since Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) recommended in its 1994 Taxi Policy Review a number of measures to improve taxi services and to dampen speculation.

A total of 300 urban taxi licences and 100 New Territories taxi licences were tendered in 1994.

In the review, TAC recommended that two new conditions were to be included in tender exercises.

First, no tenderer may bid for more than one taxi licence; and second, these new taxi licences will not be transferable within 12 months from the date of first registration of the taxis concerned.

The spokesman said: "TAC has reconvened its Working Group on Taxi Policy Review to examine the effectiveness of the measures adopted since 1994 and, where appropriate, recommend new measures to tighten existing regulations."

At present, there are 40 taxis operating in Lantau.