******************************************************

Following is a transcript of the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao's meet-the-media session on NT taxi fare concession today (June 7):

Reporter : What are you going to ask them in the questionnaire? What is the significance of the taxi drivers joining in the future meetings and discussion?

Dr Liao : At the time when we decided on the fare adjustment, we actually promised the Legislative Council that we will conduct regular survey, and this is the first one that we will do as soon as we implement the adjustment. We want to find out how has the adjustment affected the business of the taxis. It will be done in much more detail to find out exactly what has happened in terms of their income, in terms of how many trips they have done, in terms of whether they have an increase in passengers. And the taxi trade had promised that they would participate in drafting that questionnaire.

Reporter : What is the significance in future meetings if they are going to join in?

Dr Liao : The taxi drivers also expressed their difficulties before in joining some of the radio stations for various reasons. We actually suggested that they should form their own organisation, you know these are pure drivers, and they agreed they would try to organise among themselves.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion)

End/Saturday, June 7, 2003

NNNN