Letters | Why Hong Kong bus fare hikes put city on road to nowhere
- Bus companies are backed by big investors with the capacity to bear any loss or risk of operating a business
- The needy have no such safety net, especially with no budget sweeteners in sight
Ordinary people have suffered and continue to suffer since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has extended and enhanced the public transport fare subsidy scheme, but any real benefit is questionable when fares are allowed to climb.
The government has emphasised that the bus companies are operating under extremely critical conditions, and the fare raises are inevitable if the necessary public transport is to be maintained. This explanation is not convincing. These bus companies are backed by massive investors who have deep capital reserves and the capability to bear any loss or risk of operating a business.
Public is being held hostage by bus firms
Can the needy ask the government for more help just as the bus companies have done, to maintain their livelihoods, and whom can they ask?
Jack Chung, Sham Shui Po