crossings
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The franchisee of the Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC), New Hong Kong Tunnel Company Limited (NHKTCL), announced on September 16 its decision to extend the concessionary toll of $15 for taxis not carrying passengers. In view of this, the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau announced today (September 30) that the Government has amended the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2005 to postpone the commencement of the new return toll charge for taxi passengers using harbour crossings from October 1, 2005 to a date to be appointed by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works by notice in the Gazette.
"This will 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 and can continue to pay a return toll charge of $15," the spokesman of the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau said.
After NHKTCL's recent announcement on the concession, the Transport Department has informed all urban taxi associations that the Government would make legislative amendment to defer the increase of the return toll charge and the taxi trade has not raised any objection.
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 will be increased from $15 to $25. The Government at that time made the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2005 to accordingly increase 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 the 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.
Ends/Friday, September 30, 2005
Issued at HKT 17:14
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