Return toll charge for taxi passengers using harbour
crossings
***************************************************** The franchisee of the Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC), New Hong Kong Tunnel Company Limited (NHKTCL), announced today (September 16) its decision to extend a series of concession schemes, including the concessionary toll of $15 for taxis not carrying passengers.
In view of this, the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau proposes to amend the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2005, made in May this year, to postpone the commencement of the new return toll charge for taxi passengers using harbour crossings originally scheduled on October 1, 2005, so as to ensure that taxi passengers using EHC or Western Harbour Crossing, whose hiring did not begin at cross-harbour taxi stands, would not be required to pay the increased return toll charge yet.
NHKTCL decided in May this year that the concessionary toll for empty taxis would end on October 1 this year, so that the toll for empty taxis using EHC would be increased from $15 to $25. The Government at that time legislated to increase accordingly the return toll charge payable by taxi passengers using EHC and WHC, whose hiring did not begin from cross harbour taxi stands, on October 1 this year. The purpose of the increase in the return toll charge is to ensure that after the increase in the EHC toll for empty taxis, taxi drivers who carry passengers across the harbour via EHC and WHC will continue to have two alternative cross-harbour routes, namely Cross Harbour Tunnel and EHC, to return to their operating base without having to pay out of pocket in case they cannot obtain a hire on the return journey.
"We learnt that EHC's concessionary toll of $15 for empty taxis will be extended. Since drivers of taxis without passengers can continue to use the EHC at the toll of $15, we will proceed to make legislative amendment so that the return toll charge payable by taxi passengers using the EHC or WHC would not be increased from $15 to $25 yet," spokesman of the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said.
crossings
***************************************************** The franchisee of the Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC), New Hong Kong Tunnel Company Limited (NHKTCL), announced today (September 16) its decision to extend a series of concession schemes, including the concessionary toll of $15 for taxis not carrying passengers.
In view of this, the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau proposes to amend the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2005, made in May this year, to postpone the commencement of the new return toll charge for taxi passengers using harbour crossings originally scheduled on October 1, 2005, so as to ensure that taxi passengers using EHC or Western Harbour Crossing, whose hiring did not begin at cross-harbour taxi stands, would not be required to pay the increased return toll charge yet.
NHKTCL decided in May this year that the concessionary toll for empty taxis would end on October 1 this year, so that the toll for empty taxis using EHC would be increased from $15 to $25. The Government at that time legislated to increase accordingly the return toll charge payable by taxi passengers using EHC and WHC, whose hiring did not begin from cross harbour taxi stands, on October 1 this year. The purpose of the increase in the return toll charge is to ensure that after the increase in the EHC toll for empty taxis, taxi drivers who carry passengers across the harbour via EHC and WHC will continue to have two alternative cross-harbour routes, namely Cross Harbour Tunnel and EHC, to return to their operating base without having to pay out of pocket in case they cannot obtain a hire on the return journey.
"We learnt that EHC's concessionary toll of $15 for empty taxis will be extended. Since drivers of taxis without passengers can continue to use the EHC at the toll of $15, we will proceed to make legislative amendment so that the return toll charge payable by taxi passengers using the EHC or WHC would not be increased from $15 to $25 yet," spokesman of the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said.
Ends/Friday, September 16, 2005
Issued at HKT 17:49
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