Hangzhou announces proposals to hike taxi fares

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Pricing authorities in the eastern city of Hangzhou on Tuesday made public two proposals to hike taxi fares, as a public hearing, which was triggered by a massive cab driver strike earlier this month, is just two weeks away.

About 1,500 disgruntled taxi drivers in Hangzhou took to the streets on August 1, complaining about skyrocketing food, gasoline and housing prices, but unchanged taxi rates.

The strike ended three days later after drivers received temporary subsidies and a promise from the government to hike fares.

The two proposals, which will be reviewed at the hearing on September 9, differ in the scale of increases in both the flag-down fare and the metered fare.

Altogether 24 people, including government officials, scholars, taxi drivers and 10 members of the general public, are being asked to offer their opinions at the hearing.

Hangzhou's price bureau on Tuesday posted the names of the 24 on its official website.

The price hike, which is expected to be carried out by the end of October, will increase customer costs by about 13 percent and raise the drivers' wages by 28 percent, said an official with the bureau.

The last time the city hiked taxi fares was in 2006, according to the bureau.

Hangzhou currently has 8,503 cabs and 20,416 cab drivers.

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