Taipei taxi fares set to

"We will ask the industry to explain the fare before reviewing the proposal. It's not like selling fruit. You can't just raise the price because you want to."

Jason Lin, Taipei City Government official

Taipei's taxi unions agreed to raise the flag fall rate from NT$70 to NT$80 and shorten the distance before the meter starts ticking after flag fall, while the Taipei Transportation Department yesterday said the rate will have to pass its review before taking effect.

The flag fall rate refers to the minimum charge levied on acceptance of a fare.

Following the gas price increases on Wednesday, taxi unions and associations in Taipei held a meeting on Friday to agree on a single proposal to be submitted to the city government.

The meeting also decided to shorten the distance before the meter starts ticking after flag fall from 1.5km to 1.3km, and then decrease the following increments from 300m to 240m. This would amount to a 25 percent increase in fares.

Taxi fares in Taipei were last adjusted on Dec. 1, 2000. Last year the city government considered raising the flag fall rate by as much as NT$25, but instead reduced the vehicle license tax and the fuel tax.

Association of Taxi Operators director Liang Ping-liang (梁平良) said that taxi fare rates had remained unchanged for five years while gas prices had gone up by 30 percent.

"[The rate adjustment] reflects costs. Most of our customers take taxis for short-distance trips so the new rate would only cost them NT$10 to NT$15 more," he said.

Director of Taipei Taxi Union Wu Ching-fu (吳慶輔) said taxi drivers on average spent more than 63 percent of their working day driving around without customers. Their economic outlook would be further compromised if the transportation department rejected their proposal.

The proposal will be sent to the department for review within a month, and any fare increases will not be implemented until the end of July.

The transportation department yesterday said it shared taxi unions' concerns, but will not accept the proposed rate without a careful review.

"We will ask the industry to explain the fare before reviewing the proposal. It's not like selling fruit. You can't just raise the price because you want to," transport head Jason Lin (林志盈) told the Taipei Times.

Although Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) promised not to raise bus ticket prices during his term in office, the transportation department said it was willing to review price adjustment proposals presented by bus companies due to recent gas price increases.