Travellers to Macau look set to benefit from a ferry price war after one operator announced plans to indirectly cut fares by up to 28 per cent to match its main rival. From April 15, passengers taking 10 rides on New World First Ferry's inner-harbour service in Hong Kong within a two-week period can buy a ticket to Macau for $93 on weekdays and $110 on weekends and public holidays. The Macau service, which operates out of Tsim Sha Tsui China Ferry Terminal, normally costs $113 on weekdays, $134 on weekends before 6pm and $154 on weekends after 6pm. First Ferry operates two inner-harbour routes, North Point-Kowloon City and North Point-Hunghom. Initially, the offer will run for two weeks. The $93 fare matches that offered by Turbojet, which is 71 per cent owned by Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun's Shun Tak Holdings, on its service from Tsim Sha Tsui. The discount fares are cheaper than Turbojet journeys from its main Sheung Wan port. The cheapest ticket from there costs $130. About three-quarters of the 11 million ferry passengers to Macau last year left from Sheung Wan. The rest were evenly split between the two Tsim Sha Tsui operators. First Ferry director and general manager John Hui Chiu-yin denied he was trying to start a fare war with Turbojet. 'It should only be treated as a concession and not an outright fare cut to passengers because the campaign will only last a short period. We are simply offering some benefits to our loyal customers,' he said. 'However, if the response for the new campaign is positive, we may consider running similar campaigns for our outlying island passengers in the future.' No one at Turbojet could be reached for comment yesterday. First Ferry also plans to introduce cost-saving measures for its inner-harbour routes. From next Tuesday, Octopus cards will be accepted for fare payment, and passengers on both routes will pay at North Point, regardless of the direction of travel.