Under the epidemic, people’s lives are difficult, but the wind continues to blow at the end of the year, and the pockets will still suffer! The two power companies have implemented electricity rate hikes for New Year’s Day next year, and several transportation companies are also queuing up to apply for the rate increase. The rate will be raised by hundreds of pounds .Except for the Star Ferry, the franchised bus fare will be increased by up to 20%. The fare was also approved this summer. The preliminary proposal is to increase the meter by 6 yuan, and it will be implemented in two years. A taxi representative in an urban area pointed out that it has been difficult to find food in recent years. the difference compared to the previous adjustment.
The last time Hong Kong taxis requested a fare hike was in September 2018. It was initially proposed to raise the flag-down fare from 6 yuan to 7 yuan, but the authorities finally approved the hike, but the increase was halved. Starting July 17 this year, the meter will be charged at a flat rate of $3, the meter for city taxis will be $27, the meter for taxis in the New Territories and Lantau Island will be respectively $23.5 and $22. For short- and long-distance subway rides, the fare is the same plus two cents and one cent. City taxis charge 1.9 yuan and 1.3 yuan per hop, respectively; New Territories taxis charge 1.7 yuan and 1.3 yuan per hop, respectively; Lantau taxis charge 1.7 Yuan per hop, and 1.5 Yuan.
The meter in the urban area can be raised to 33 yuan
Faced with the authorities originally proposing to cut the fare increase by half, the taxi industry held back for several months before finally trying to raise the fare. The latest proposal initially raises the list price by 6 yuan, that is, the “minimum fare” of taxis in urban areas will be increased to 33 yuan, the fare rises to 22%, every time you jump off the table, add about 2 cents.
Zhou Guoqiang, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Minibus Merchants Association, said the industry would meet with the transport department today to request a fare increase, and also stressed that the fare increase approved in July this year is too much. low. behind” and being forced to do so, “the industry is so distressed and helpless”. However, he said that in order to prevent the public from feeling that the taxi industry is “opening its mouth”, the industry will put forward two proposals, including a one-time fee increase and a two-year increase of 3 yuan per year.
Wu Kuncheng, permanent chairman of the Taxi Owners’ Association, said calling for a fare increase was the dominant opinion in the industry, and the increase and details were yet to be discussed. Some taxi drivers expect the government to “discount”; some drivers are concerned that short-distance passengers may experience a larger increase. He also pointed out that there is a delay in the fare increase and that approval usually takes two to three years. The last time the Department of Transportation delayed approval for several years, it is hoped that this time can be completed within one year.
The government should step up its crackdown on the illegal carriage of passengers for remuneration
Wu Kuncheng also said that in recent years there have been many difficulties in the operation of the industry. For example, the insurance cost of each taxi has risen to 50,000 yuan or more, accounting for more than 40% of the driver’s income; The gas subsidy expires at the end of next month. The monthly fuel expenses of taxi drivers are expected to increase by more than 3,000 yuan, and the operating environment will become increasingly difficult. Furthermore, the customs clearance between China and Hong Kong has not returned to normal and the turnover in recent months has been only 80% of the pre-epidemic one, the need to increase prices is reiterated.
Legislative Council Transportation Committee Chairman Chen Hengpin believes the taxi industry is in trouble and hopes the government will step up efforts to crack down on the illegal transportation of paid passengers, so as to ease the pressure on fares of taxis.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the average daily volume of taxi passengers in 2020 dropped sharply to 660,000, according to data from the Department of Transportation. Although the figure rebounded to 762,000 last year, it was still lower than the average daily passenger volume of 898,000 in 2018. 15.1%. As of August this year, the average daily passenger volume of taxis has returned to 817,000.
