Cabbies plagued by stalling cars in the past two winters are being offered a solution.
The government has approved the installation of filters that trap impurities, improve performance and, according to a taxi association, will be able to prove the truth or otherwise of claims by gas supplier Sinopec that its product did not cause the problem.
The filters are being tried out in two taxis, one in the urban area and the other in the New Territories.
Wong Wing-chung, chairman of the Northwest Area Taxi Drivers and Operators Association, said he expected the number to rise to 50 by winter, peak season for stalling because of the greater difference between the engine and outside temperatures.
Installation of the two filters in each taxi's LPG tube was approved by the Transport Department last month. The department seldom allows structural changes to cabs, and approval came after hundreds of taxis were reported to have broken down after refuelling in the past two winters.
Taxi drivers suspected impurities in Sinopec gas had caused the breakdowns, although a government report last September said the gas was fine, and failed to identify the cause.