The cuts benefit more than a million commuters, but do not satisfy some legislators
Four bus operators and the KCRC's West Rail yesterday announced unexpected fare cuts of up to 10 per cent that are estimated to benefit more than one million commuters on long-haul routes.
The concession schemes were unveiled by Kowloon Motor Bus and its subsidiary Long Win Bus, Citybus and New World First. But the MTRC and the KCRC's East Rail said they would not follow suit with the conditional fare reductions, which will last one year.
Legislators were quick to suggest that the fare cuts did not represent a victory in their ongoing effort to persuade transport operators to slash fares to reflect the economic downturn and deflation. They urged the bus operators to extend the same concession to short-haul passengers and make the cuts permanent.
'These are only temporary measures which will be taken away at the operators' wish,' Democrat legislator Albert Ho Chun-yan said.
The concession schemes, available only to Octopus card users, will be launched on October 1. The main concessions are a 10 per cent discount on bus fares of $15 and above, and a 5 per cent cut on fares between $10 and $14.90.
The cuts are available on all KMB routes and all jointly operated routes. But commuters travelling on routes solely run by Citybus or New World First Bus will be eligible for the bigger discount only if they make a same-day return journey.