Cheung Chau residents to get priority on busy holiday ferries

Cheung Chau residents will be allowed to board ferries first on public holidays for a trial period after complaints that piers were packed with holidaymakers over the Easter holiday.

New World First Ferry said 80 to 100 seats would be reserved for residents who held monthly passes or a special holiday ticket if they could be at the pier 15 minutes before departure. However, the plan does not apply to fast ferry services.

Anthea Chau Shuk-man, the company's corporate communications manager, said: "The trial will last three to six months to see if residents are happy with the arrangement."

The company had thought about introducing the service in time for the island's bun festival on May 25, but Chau said there were worries about possible chaos, so a start date was still being discussed with the Transport Department. The next public holiday is the Dragon Boat festival on June 20.

Chau said there were now eight ferry trips an hour in peak times, the maximum the company could handle, and the pier could not cope with more vessels.

Kwong Koon-wan, a Cheung Chau district councillor, said while the plan could tackle residents' grievances, he was worried it could create other problems and said it should not be rushed.