LegCo Panel on Transport
Taxi Fare Receipts
Background
At the meeting of the LegCo Panel on Transport held on 17 December 1996, Members discussed the proposal to amend the law to require taxi drivers to issue receipts on demand and requested the Administration to provide further details before tabling the amendment regulations in LegCo.
Requirements concerning fare receipt printers
2. The Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations (Cap. 374) will be amended to provide that all taxis should be equipped with a printing device capable of printing taxi fare receipts containing such information as set out in one of the three formats at Annex A. A maximum printing time of 12 seconds will be allowed, so as not to cause traffic delays. This is roughly equivalent to the time taken by a passenger to settle payment, and most printing devices available in the market can produce a receipt in one of the required format within 12 seconds.
Requirements in respect of the issue of taxi fare receipts
3. The Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations (Cap. 374) will be amended to provide that a taxi driver is obliged to issue on demand a machine-printed taxi fare receipt in one of the three formats. The Commissioner for Transport may specify the formats and the amend them by notice in the Gazette.
4. In the event that the printing device is out of order, a taxi driver will be required to fill out and issue a hand-written receipt, using a pre-printed form in a prescribed format (at Annex B). The Commissioner for Transport may specify the format of the pre-printed form and amend it by notice in the Gazette.
Penalty for non-compliance
5. A taxi owner who does not comply with the requirements in respect of the installation and maintenance of a fare receipt printer shall be liable to a fine of $10,000 and 6 months of imprisonment. A taxi driver who does not comply with the requirements in respect of the issuance of fare receipts shall be liable to a fine of $5,000 and to imprisonment for 6 months. These penalties are in line with those for similar offences under the respective regulations.
Commencement Date
6. We intend to publish the amendment regulations in the Government Gazette in March 1997 and designate a commencement date in June 1997 for the new requirements to come into force. Starting from the commencement date, all new taximeters submitted to Transport Department for testing and approval should be fitted with an appropriate receipt printing device. Taxi drivers whose taxis have been installed with receipt printers will be required to issue receipts on demand.
Transitional Period
7. Between June 1997 and June 1998 all taxis will be required to be equipped with fare receipt printers when they undergo their annual examination at the Transport Department Vehicle Examination Centres. Appointments for such mandatory test will be assigned to the taxi operators in such a way that the installation and testing of the printers will be spread out over the twelve-month period. During this transitional period, only taxi drivers operating taxis equipped with receipt printers are required to issue fare receipts to passengers on demand. At the end of the transitional period, all taxis should be fitted with receipt printers and all taxi drivers will be required to issue machine-printed receipts on demand.
8. Administratively, we will allow sufficient time for taxi operators to comply with the new requirements. If, within the first three months after the commencement date, a taximeter submitted to Transport Department for testing and approval has not yet been fitted with an appropriate receipt printing device, it will be given an opportunity to comply with the new requirements in another three months time. In effect, a taxi operator will have at least six months notice to comply with the new requirements.
Transport Branch
Government Secretariat
TBCR 1/9/581/85 (96)
06 March, 1997
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