ENG-2007 — Page 294

242 | Transport

alteration to these devices will be regarded as a criminal act. To encourage the trade to retrofit older PLBS with seat belts, the Transport Department provided the PLB trade with specifications and plans for retrofitting seat belts and high-back seats on some older PLB models in 2006. Some 57 PLBs have now been retrofitted.

The Government introduced incentive schemes in August 2002 to encourage the early replacement of diesel light buses with vehicles running on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) or electricity. The schemes ended at the end of 2005 and some 2 370 applications have been processed and grants have been made to the applicants. Another incentive scheme to encourage the replacement of Pre-Euro and Euro I commercial vehicles, including light buses, with new commercial vehicles, was introduced in April. Some 15 PLB-related applications had been processed with grants made to the applicants. At year-end, 2 484 LPG PLBs and 180 LPG private light buses were running on the roads. One electricity-driven private light bus was in operation.

Taxis

At year-end, there were 15 250 red urban taxis, 2 838 green New Territories taxis and 50 blue Lantau taxis in Hong Kong, carrying about one million passengers per day.

To improve the operating environment for taxis, the Transport Department has extended the temporary arrangement, first introduced in May 2003, to January 31, 2008, to allow all taxis to pick up and set down passengers during peak hours and 7 am-to-7 pm restricted zones on roads with speed limits of less than 70 kilometres per hour. At year-end, there were over 230 designated taxi pick-up/drop-off points and taxi drop-off points. The department will continue to provide taxi pick-up/drop- off facilities at suitable locations.

The department and the Quality Taxi Services Steering Committee continued to implement schemes to improve the quality of taxi service. These included updating the information on the light emitting diode display panels and providing additional taxi information plates at various taxi stands. It also published and distributed 40 000 free copies of quarterly Taxi Newsletters to taxi drivers, and distributed leaflets at the Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong Disneyland and Lok Ma Chau Control Point to provide useful information on taxi services to taxi drivers, passengers and tourists.

Ferries

Ferries provide essential transport links to outlying islands where no land transport alternatives are available. They also provide an alternative transport service to and from the inner harbour and other areas in Hong Kong.

At year-end, one ferry operator provided two cross-harbour franchised passenger ferry services and 12 ferry operators provided 26 licensed passenger ferry services to outlying islands, new towns and the inner-harbour. These franchised/licensed services were supplemented by about 75 'kaito', or small boats, which provide services to relatively remote parts of Hong Kong.