As bus fares and power bills surge, will John Lee leave Hongkongers to fend for themselves?

For John Lee, the Hong Kong story is about reopening for business. For ordinary folks, it’s about rising taxi, bus, ferry fares and power bills – and how little the government is doing about it

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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu at a grocery store in Thailand during the Apec trip. Photo: Handout

Alice Wu

Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA.

Published: 8:15am, 28 Nov 2022

Christmas came early for Hong Kong this year. And I’m not talking about the festive decorations in the shopping malls. The Ebenezer Scrooges have been given top billing instead, and are starring in the “Hong Kong Story” this holiday season.

We haven’t even made it to midwinter and it’s already bleak here. Following the high-profile debut trip abroad to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Thailand, with a delegation in tow, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu contracted Covid-19.

And so, the Hong Kong Story that Lee has been working hard to tell has run into a bit of a snag. We are indeed open for business – unless Covid-19 gets us first, that is. It’s a tale we’ve been struggling with – Covid-19 renders our narrative plotless.

Lee had to cancel his Executive Council meeting. Bah humbug! And while he self-isolated and worked from home, the Scrooges were let loose.

The Star Ferry is seeking to double its fares and planning to scrap free rides for those aged 65 and above. The government last allowed the Star Ferry to increase fares in 2020.

Franchised bus operators have also applied for a fare increase, of up to 20 per cent. This, after the Executive Council approved higher fares last year.