Calling time on taxi cheats

ON any given day or night, come rain or sunshine, it is a miracle getting a taxi anywhere in Hong Kong. In reality we do not have a genuine taxi service to speak of.

On a rainy day the $9 flag-fall is a total farce as there will be ranks of taxis with ''out of service'' signs displayed on their windscreens. Their service is available only to the highest bidder.

The Government's transport policy is a total disaster. The Government itself is to be blamed for a faulty taxi policy, a policy which has encouraged piracy by the taxi drivers. To remedy the situation it should do the following with immediate effect: Do away with the auctioning of taxi licences to the highest bidder. Presently a taxi licence fetches close to $2 million and is the underlying cause of corruption in the taxi service.

Plain clothes policemen should patrol the taxis and the wrong-doers brought to justice with stiff penalities including jail sentences.

Increase the number of taxis on the road. Presently, there is an extreme shortage of taxis which does not meet the demand. With Hong Kong roads so congested, parking for private cars are expensive and inadequate, the Government should very seriously lookat the entire transport problem urgently before Hong Kong grinds to a halt.

GUL MIRPURI Central WITNESSING an accident at the junction of Nathan and Haiphong Road was a painful experience for me. A 1A airport bus was coming down Nathan Road and a taxi down Haiphong Road towards Nathan Road. The vehicles collided. The lady bus driver died on the spot. The taxi driver escaped with minor injuries. It was early in the morning at 7. There were no passengers in the bus and taxi. The emergency vehicles came soon. Traffic was held up. We got to school late.