Taxi fleets will be free to set booking fees: govt
Transport minister Lam Sai-hung said on Sunday that officials will not set a cap for booking fees for future taxi fleets, which they hope will hit the streets by the end of the year.  The government is set to give out five licences for these fleets this month, which it hopes can provide high quality taxi services.  When asked whether passengers will find booking fees troublesome, the minister said people are familiar with online car-hailing services, and that booking charges will be something that will be left up to the market. "We won't be setting a maximum booking fee level. We believe the market will make adjustments. Of course, we hope that the fleets and the users will come up with their own reasonable amount in this regard," Lam said on a Commercial Radio programme. He stressed the taxi fleets must provide online car-hailing services, adding the Transport Department will be providing links on its website to their platforms and mobile apps. The minister also said that taxi fleets will be given the freedom to design the looks and logos of their vehicles. Meanwhile, the government – which will carry out a year-long study on passenger demand and how their needs are changing – plans to regulate online car-hailing services by issuing licences.  Lam said the administration's study does not take the price of taxi licences into consideration, adding that officials have the overall public interest in mind, and stressed that the government wants to maintain a highly efficient public transport system.