THE LEVEL OF SERVICE PROVIDED BY TAXIS IN JULY, 1974

This report presents the results of a survey of the level of service provided by taxis in July 1974 and also, by comparison with the results from a similar survey carried out in February of the same year, seeks to establish the effects of the revision of taxi legislation which came into force on the 10th March 1974. Though the new legislation abolished the distinction between Hong Kong island and Kowloon taxi, the relationship between the level of activity in both areas showed little change (few taxi drivers appear to have made use of their new freedom to ply for hire on the opposite side of the harbour) and the factor which has had the greatest influence on the taxi trade was the increase in fares. The most obvious result of the fare increase, from the prospective passengers point of view, was the improvement in the availability of taxis for hire, but the study indicates that this increase in availability was the end result of a complex readjustment of the taxi trade to the new situation. With the increase in fare there was a 20% fall in demand to which the taxi trade reacted by a reduction of 10% in activity. Due to the very high level of taxi utilisation before the fare increase the subsequent changes in demand and activity resulted in a net increase of more than 50% in the number of taxis available for hire. However, the relationship between demand, taxi activity and taxi availability was not constant across the colony and, in general, the level of service improved in the down-town areas on both sides of the harbour to the detriment of the outlying districts. /TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Government of Hong Kong

  Department of Public Works, Division of Traffic and Transport Survey
  Hong Kong,   China 
• Authors:
  • Cowie, J D
• Publication Date: 1974-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 44 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Central business districts; Demand; Fares; Laws; Legislation; Level of service; Public transit; Supply; Surveys; Tariffs; Taxicabs; Traffic surveys; Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Availability; Increase
• Geographic Terms: Hong Kong (China)
• ITRD Terms: 285: Demand (econ); 8131: Hong Kong; 9032: Increase; 1556: Legislation; 744: Public transport; 241: Tariff; 1148: Taxi; 676: Traffic survey
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00164246
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: Technical Report 185Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 14 1981 12:00AM