The Transport Department may meet with the taxi industry on Tuesday over the new fare regime after dozens of taxis blocked for hours a main road connecting to the Hong Kong International Airport Wednesday night.

The Legislative Council Panel on Transport will discuss the fare adjustment application for New Territories taxis (green taxis) on Dec 11, eight days ahead of the scheduled meeting. The Transport Advisory Council will also advance its December meeting from the end of the month to an earlier date to discuss the matter.

Green-taxi drivers are unhappy with the new urban taxi (red taxi) fare regime that took effect Sunday, raising short-haul fares while lowering rates for longer trips.

They do not want the same fare policy for the green taxis, because it will cause them a big drop in income, and they plan to make their voice heard by government officials.

But a Transport Department spokesman said last night that the new fare system is the result of lengthy discussion with the industry, and cannot be scrapped, as it has been approved by the Executive Council and Legislative Council.

Referring to the blockade, Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng, called for calm, saying the people won't tolerate such actions, as it affects local citizens, tourists and Hong Kong's image.

Cheng pledged to speed up the fare-adjustment application from green cabs. She believed the blockage action was triggered by the distribution of a taxi-fare comparison sheet by Hong Kong Airport Authority staff, reminding passengers that green-cab long-haul fares are more expensive. It is normal distribution of information to the passengers, Cheng said, but she conceded it might not have taken into consideration the feelings of the taxi drivers.

Deputy Commissioner for Transport Carolina Yip said in a radio interview yesterday morning that the distribution of fare information to the passengers is normal practice. She, however, apologized to the taxi drivers for not taking care of their feelings.

Many passengers were affected by and unhappy with the taxi drivers' action, blaming them for putting sectoral interest above public interest. Some taxi drivers also thought the blockade action was too drastic, but some said non-drastic action won't get the government's attention.

The blockade action started at about 7:30 pm Wednesday when the cabs blocked the airport taxi stand. By about 9 pm, they had blocked the North Lantau Highway, which links the city with the airport. After negotiating to no avail, police took action at about 11:30 pm by breaking the window glass of the taxis and towing them away. Police also carried away the drivers sitting on the roadside. The traffic lanes were reopened after 11:40 pm.

Police towed away 16 green and five red cabs and arrested 24 people, who were detained overnight for questioning and then released on bail.

Some green-cab drivers waited at the airport taxi stand yesterday for transport officials to meet them there, and the drivers threatened to take further action if they weren't met.

But the drivers left the airport toward the evening.

Defending the police action, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee said on a morning radio program that the cops resorted to minimal violence after repeated verbal requests to the taxi drivers.

There were also blockage actions on a smaller scale at Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island and Lok Ma Chau near the border, but they were quickly put under control.

The blockade action seemed to be well planned after a new taxi-fare policy for red cabs took effect on Sunday, according to drivers who did not want to be named.

They said that the new higher short-haul fares and lower long-haul fares do not benefit the frontline drivers, who hire the taxis from taxi companies or owners. Higher short-haul fares will result in fewer customers and lower income. Long-haul drivers are not better off in the face of competition of drivers who offer discounted fares to passengers. Introducing the new fare system, the government seems to have only the consensus of the car owners but not the drivers.

So the blockage action is not because of green-cab drivers wanting the same treatment as the red cab drivers have just received, said green-cab representatives. What they want is to scrap this policy.

As some taxi drivers took to the streets to express their anger over the new fare regime, many more are still driving customers on the road and think the reform should have come much earlier.

"Many protestors were probably drivers who were offering discounts to their customers. The price reform now leaves them little room for any appealing discount," said a taxi driver surnamed Lam.

"It was illegal, and it hurt drivers like us who were working honestly. The fare reform is bad news for them, but good news for us, because we can now compete on the same ground," Lam said.

(HK Edition 12/05/2008 page1)