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Ire raised along with cab fares

Taxi drivers are installing new fare meters after the taxi rates in the Taipei area were raised yesterday. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

One day after Taipei City implemented a new taxi fare structure, cab drivers and passengers expressed varied views on the 12.5 percent price hike.

Under the new system, the flag-fall rate is set at NT$70 for the first 1,500m and NT$5 for every additional 300m.

The new system has been applied not only to Taipei City, but also to Taipei County and Keelung City in a bid to eliminate any possible confusion.

Feng Ta-li (馮大立), who joined the cab business 18 months ago after he was laid off by his previous company, said he is in favor of the price hike.

"The price of everything nowadays is going up, including gas and toilet paper, so why not taxi fares?" he said.

The problem with the cab business, Feng said, does not lie in the fee structure but the excessive number of cabs. Feng said the city could reduce the number of drivers with tougher licensing standards.

"It's amazing that Taipei's taxis outnumber the city's stray dogs," Feng said. "The city should conduct a background check on potential cab drivers and exclude those with criminal records."

"It's amazing that Taipei's taxis outnumber the city's stray dogs. ... The city should conduct a background check on potential cab drivers and exclude those with criminal records."

Feng Ta-li, a taxi driver in Taipei City

Another taxi driver, Yeh Han-yueh (葉漢岳), said he will lose money with the new system.

"I used to make about NT$200 an hour, but now I make between NT$150 and NT$180," he said.

Yeh works about 12 hours a day, earning about NT$2,000 a day or NT$60,000 a month.

Driver Wang Chih-chia (王志嘉) said he disapproved of the price hike.

"It seems like good news for us, but the fact is that we're losing customers," he said.

According to Wang, it used to take him 20 to 25 minutes to wait for a customer outside the MRT Chihshan Station, but now it takes him over 45 minutes.

An opinion poll recently made available by KMT City Councilor Chen Li-hui (陳孋輝) showed that 77 percent of the city's cab drivers said that they are worried about the price hike, which they said would eventually make them lose customers.

The survey also showed that another 77 percent are worried that they might have arguments with customers over the new fee structure, and that 65 percent are worried that they might spend a fortune to install a poor quality meter.

Cheng Chih-yi (鄭植義), a body shop technician, said his workload has increased over the past few months.

"I'm so busy that I hardly have time to eat," Cheng said.

Cheng is one of the 10 technicians at the shop working over 12 hours a day, servicing 30 to 40 cars a shift.

The store charges between NT$2,500 and NT$4,500 for a new meter.

Emma Chen (陳萌雅), who lives in Neihu and takes a cab to work every day, said she is against the price hike.

"Although taxi fares have increased, the quality of service is not improving," she said.

Chen said she used to spend about NT$140 for a 10-minute taxi drive to work, but now has to spend between NT$20 and NT$30 more.

"I've decided to take the bus for now and buy a bicycle," she said. "The one-hour bus ride and multiple transfers are just not for me."

Susan Feng (馮書馨) said the price hike makes little difference to her because she lives close to work.

"Although I have a car all to myself, I usually walk to the office or take advantage of the mass transportation system to get around. Only when I am in a hurry do I take a cab," she said.

The 12.5 percent price hike did not come as a surprise because it has been over two years since taxi fares were last raised on Aug. 15, 1998.

The Highway Law (公路法) stipulates that public transport fares need to be reviewed every two years and necessary adjustments made in accordance with changing operational costs.

To cope with the new fee structure, taxi drivers have to either install a new IC chip in their old meter or replace the entire meter.

The ceiling for installing a new chip is set at NT$800. Prices for a new meter, however, vary from NT$1,000 to NT$6,000.

Taipei City has a total of roughly 36,000 taxi cabs, about 20 percent of which are equipped with old meters which will need replacement, while the remaining cabs will need to replace only the chip.

The city's Bureau of Transportation (交通局) has estimated that it may take four to six months to complete the entire installation and replacement process.

In the meantime, copies of tables comparing the new fare structure with the old one will be made available for the convenience of taxi drivers and the public.
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