The government might table a proposal in the Legislative Council next year to raise the taxi flagfall by HK$1.
Speaking on a radio show yesterday, Eva Cheng Yu-wah, the secretary for transport and housing, suggested the taxi industry submit an application for a rise soon.
She said the government understood the plight of taxi drivers because of rising fuel costs and would process such an application quickly.
Her comments came two days after the Transport Advisory Committee rejected a proposal by taxi drivers for a HK$1-a-trip fuel surcharge.
'We are worried that other forms of public transport would follow suit and directly pass on fuel costs to passengers. This would be unacceptable,' Ms Cheng said.
The chairman of the Urban Taxi Drivers Association Joint Committee, Kwok Chi-piu, said the industry would soon submit an application to raise the flagfall price from HK$15 to HK$16.
