3.1 Taximeter Approval & Construction

3.1 Taximeter Approval & Construction

Quick Answer: Every taxi must be fitted with a taximeter of a design and construction approved by the Commissioner for Transport. The meter needs a visible FOR HIRE / TAXI flag (≥100 mm × 50 mm), clear dollar-and-cent fare figures (≥10 mm high), illumination when dark or requested, and construction that may be sealed to the Commissioner's satisfaction. Approval does not come from the Police, EMSD, or the owner.

The taximeter is the legal heart of taxi charging in Hong Kong. Part A of the Taxi Written Test draws heavily on the Taxi Operation Booklet rules about who may approve a meter, what it must show, and how it must be built. Treat this section as pure regulation: the exam tests exact authorities and measurements, not "what feels practical."

Who Approves the Taximeter?

Every taxi must be fitted with a taximeter of a design and construction approved by the Commissioner for Transport. That single sentence is one of the most reusable exam facts in this chapter.

Key implications:

1. The approving authority is the Commissioner for Transport (Transport Department leadership in regulatory terms). Sample-style questions often plant wrong authorities — Hong Kong Police Force, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), Customs, or "the registered owner." Those are traps.
2. No taximeter or similar instrument may be fitted without prior approval. "Similar instrument" matters: anything that purports to measure or display fare by time, distance, or combination is covered. You cannot swap in an unapproved black-box app display and call it fine because it "works like a meter."
3. Approval is about design and construction of the device type, not a one-off handshake with the driver on the roadside. Later sections cover periodic testing and sealing of the specific unit after fitment.

When you see a multiple-choice item that asks who must approve the taximeter, lock onto Commissioner for Transport and eliminate operational agencies and private parties.

The Indicator ("Flag")

The taximeter includes an indicator, commonly called the flag. Construction and display rules for the flag are specific:

Memorise the minimum dimensions as a pair: 100 by 50 millimetres. Exam writers love substituting 80 × 50, 100 × 40, or "approximately postcard size" as distractors. The words on the flag are not decorative branding — they are statutory hire status language.

In the next section you will learn when the flag must be visible outside (FOR HIRE) versus not visible (HIRED / STOPPED). Here, the construction point is simpler: the indicator must be large enough and worded correctly so road users can recognise a taxi that is free for hire.

Construction Requirements in Detail

Beyond approval and the flag, the Booklet sets a cluster of construction and display standards. Study them as a checklist.

Sealing

The taximeter may be sealed to the Commissioner's satisfaction. Sealing protects accuracy and deters tampering. A classic false statement on practice-style items is that the meter "should not be sealed for ease of repairs." That statement is wrong — ease of repair is not a legal design goal that overrides sealing. If an option claims sealing is optional for workshop convenience, treat it as a failing construction statement.

Fare dial clarity

The fare dial must show amounts clearly in dollars and cents. The dial (or associated display wording) uses the words FARE, EXTRAS, and H.K. Dollars / cents (or the abbreviated forms HK$ and c). Hirers and enforcement officers must be able to read what is being charged as the main fare versus extras.

How the amount is built

The meter must be capable of showing an amount determined by:

• time, or
• distance, or
• a combination of time and distance.

Additional fares must advance in progressive increments — successive steps, not a single lump that appears without intermediate structure. Progressive increment design matches Hong Kong's published fare scales (flagfall, then distance/time steps), which you study in the fares chapter.

Figure size and illumination

Ten-millimetre figures are an easy numeric trap. Smaller "fine print" would defeat the passenger's right to see the fare. Illumination is not only a night-driving nicety: if the cabin is dark or the hirer asks for the dial to be lit, the system must allow that. Separately, the meter must make the actuating position itself readable — so everyone can tell whether the taxi is free, on hire, or stopped for fare settlement.

What Is NOT a Requirement

Exam items often reverse true rules into plausible-sounding nonsense. High-yield false claims include:

• Sealing should be avoided so workshops can repair meters quickly — false (sealing to the Commissioner's satisfaction is part of the regime).
• Approval may be granted by the Police or EMSD instead of the Commissioner — false.
• An owner may fit any reliable digital meter without prior approval — false.
• Flag size is left to manufacturer preference — false (≥100 mm × 50 mm).
• Figures may be any legible size — false (≥10 mm height).

When a question asks which statement is not a requirement, hunt for the comfort-or-convenience clause that undercuts sealing, approval, or minimum dimensions.

Why Construction Rules Matter Operationally

These construction rules feed every later duty in this chapter. If the meter is not an approved type, nothing about testing intervals, seal integrity, or printed receipts sits on a lawful foundation. If figures are too small or the dial cannot be lit, the passenger cannot verify the fare. If the flag is undersized, the FOR HIRE signal fails its public function.

For the Written Test, prioritise:

1. Commissioner for Transport as approver.
2. No unapproved taximeter or similar instrument.
3. Flag ≥100 mm × 50 mm with FOR HIRE or TAXI.
4. Figures ≥10 mm, dollars/cents, FARE / EXTRAS / HK$ wording.
5. Sealing allowed / required to Commissioner's satisfaction — not "unsealed for repairs."
6. Illuminable dial and clear FOR HIRE / HIRED / STOPPED position display.

Master those six points and you will correctly answer the majority of pure construction questions before you even study actuating sequence and penalties.

Memory Hooks

• Commissioner, not constable — Transport approves the meter type.
• 100 × 50 flag, 10 mm figures — two size numbers that often appear on the paper.
• FARE + EXTRAS + HK$ — the dial speaks the legal language of charging.
• Sealed is good; "unsealed for repairs" is a distractor.

Next, Section 3.2 turns construction into daily operation: the three actuating positions, the mandatory sequence, six-month testing, reporting duties, and the criminal penalties for non-compliance and tampering.