The Transport Department has turned down a proposal from two taxi drivers' associations to levy a HK$1 fuel surcharge per journey to offset the rising cost of LPG.
To Sun-tong, director of the taxi drivers' branch of the Motor Transport Workers General Union, one of the two groups behind the proposal, said the price of LPG had more than doubled in nine years, rising from HK$1.80 a litre to nearly HK$3.80.
'From our passengers' perspective, a $1 fuel surcharge is mild and affordable. We hope the public can understand the drivers' burden,' Mr To said. He said dearer fuel had added HK$60 to drivers' daily running costs.
The association would scrap the surcharge if the gas price dropped below HK$3 a litre, he said.
Transport Department spokeswoman Grace Yeung Siu-ping said the public would have to bear the impact of fluctuating fuel prices if the surcharge was implemented. She also said LPG was not taxed, so the drivers' running costs were lower than those of diesel-powered vehicles.
Ms Yeung noted that the proposal was not backed by other taxi associations.