Hong Kong taxi users face higher fares
Many users were unaware that charges increased by HK$2 for the flagfall and an additional 10 cents for every 200 metres travelled for the first 9km in urban areas
Passengers taking red urban taxis will see the minimum fare raised to HK$24, that of a green New Territories taxi to HK$20.50 and a blue Lantau taxi to HK$19.
One taxi driver of 14 years, surnamed Cheung, said only one out of five passengers she drove on Sunday morning was aware of the fare rise.
“Without the rise, it’s hard to survive,” she admitted.
But she was worried that passengers might be put off by another fare rise, and said she had been surveying passengers to see if they would take other forms of transport.
“This time the fare rise was a bit different from last time, because the longer the journey, the bigger the bill,” she said. She said a trip from Tai Po to Hong Kong airport would cost about HK$40 more.