THE Mass Transit Railway's rush hour surcharge will be scrapped for a four-month trial period from next month, it was confirmed yesterday.
Concessionary fares for student travellers will also be dropped in the second two months to discourage about 7,000 student passengers who normally travel between 8 am and 9 am every day.
The change is to allow the MTR to assess the adult ridership during the last two months and compare that with data in the first two months when students will still pay cheaper fares.
The company will then decide if the surcharge should be dropped permanently.
The scheme was disclosed as the MTR announced an average fare increase of nine per cent from next month.
The surcharge - of between 50 and 80 cents a trip - was designed to divert passengers who might otherwise use the heavily congested Nathan Road corridor trains, to use the Eastern crossing or to travel outside the rush hours.
About 95 per cent of the 74,000 passengers currently riding the corridor in the morning rush hour are expected to benefit from the scrapping of the surcharge. The remainder are student passengers.