Should fare bargaining be allowed for Hong Kong's taxis?
If the taxi trade needs a public consultation to come to an agreement on common-sense decisions, so be it, but why are the suggested models in this taxi review nonsensical and overcomplicated?
Are they the compromise worked out between bureaucrats and a few large taxi lords who have been taken by surprise by the success of the small call centre co-operatives that have sprouted up in the taxi business?
The review can be expedited by including blatantly obvious and simple solutions.
When you flag down a taxi, you pay the amount on the meter. There is no negotiation and any refusal to pay is met with law enforcement. And yes, there appears good justification for the flagfall to be increased.
However, when you call a cab you pay the price negotiated; whether that's a flat price or a percentage discount, that's no one's business except for the passenger, the call centre and the driver.
The market will determine the average fares as a result of competition among taxis as well as limo and van services.