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Hong Kong passengers practise social distancing while travelling on the MTR on April 11, in line with measures in place to avoid transmission of the novel coronavirus. Photo: Jonathan Wong
OpinionLetters

Letters | Coronavirus in Hong Kong: MTR failed to serve this passenger ‘with heart’

  • The rail operator’s refusal to grant an extension on City Saver cards that expired while Hong Kong was battling a rise in coronavirus cases reflects a bureaucratic mindset
Hong Kong MTR
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MTR claims it serves passengers “with heart”. The rail operator might want to follow up on this statement by applying a sense of responsibility and empathy into their customer service.

I bought a MTR City Saver on March 10, thinking the pandemic had been brought under control and the situation in Hong Kong was moving back to normal. Even the government decided to relax work-from-home arrangements and asked civil servants to return to office on March 2.
Unfortunately, the second wave of Covid-19 hit Hong Kong and confirmed cases rose dramatically starting at the end of March, with a peak in early April.
Work-from-home arrangements were back in force across the city, with stricter social distancing rules than before. When my City Saver pass was about to expire in mid-April, I wrote to MTR’s customer service for an exceptional extension. Such a request was granted last year following the service paralysis due to the protests and I expected a repeat to be a formality, considering the anti-epidemic measures still in force.
Public services were cautiously resumed on May 4 after the epidemic situation was deemed to have stabilised, though it would be the middle of June before social distancing rules would be more fully relaxed.

02:02

Coronavirus: Hong Kong to ease social-distancing rules as city sees record 8.9% economic slump

Coronavirus: Hong Kong to ease social-distancing rules as city sees record 8.9% economic slump

Two letters and two phone calls with customer service later, I can only say that the MTR is even more bureaucratic than the Hong Kong government.

I was informed that my pass would have been extended should it have expired on March 30. But there was no such “arrangement in place” for passes expiring in April. Even though the pandemic was still raging during that period and the government was pleading with employers to show understanding, MTR did not change its policy to accommodate Hongkongers during this devastating April.  

In times when corporations need to show more solidarity with the community and share its burden, when corporations also need to pay more attention to their public image, the MTR’s inconsiderate attitude is extremely regrettable and shows how out of touch the company is with the rest of society.

More than the financial loss, I feel very disappointed by their rigid service and mentality.

Isabelle Zing, Tseung Kwan O

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