Coronavirus: Hong Kong school closures cripple bus companies
- Operators say drivers and minders have been left unpaid and threatening to quit
- And a government subsidy to ease their woe is ‘a drop in the bucket’
Drivers and minders on Hong Kong school buses have been left unpaid and threatening to quit, operators warned on Thursday, their income cut off because of class suspensions aimed at curbing the coronavirus outbreak.
That came a day after the government announced a one-off subsidy for school bus companies – between HK$10,000 (US$1,285) and HK$20,000 per bus – as part of a HK$30 billion relief package for industries hit hard by the contagion.
A separate subsidy of more than HK$160 million was also set aside by the Education Bureau for kindergartens struggling financially, and primary and secondary schools looking to strengthen anti-infection measures such as buying surgical masks and cleaning items.
But bus operators said the subsidies were not enough, while school heads said that even with the cash injection they would struggle to get their hands on masks.
Three major associations which between them represent about 90 per cent of workers in the 11,000-strong school bus sector said up to 5,500 school buses had been left idle, while many parents had demanded refunds on fares after classes were suspended from February 3.
