Allowing fare rises for Hong Kong franchised bus firms could create bottomless subsidy pit, warn lawmakers and advisers
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Pressure is mounting on Hong Kong’s franchised bus operators over their proposed fare increases as government advisers and lawmakers warned of a “bottomless pit” ahead if authorities granted such requests.
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the convenor of the Executive Council, the city’s top advisory body, led the chorus after she earlier said the authorities should not approve substantial bus fare increases. She suggested the companies work harder for a year or two before applying.
“The government already has several transport subsidy schemes … for every resident who spends more than HK$200 (US$25) on public transport each month,” she wrote in a commentary first published on Saturday.
“That means the higher the bus fares, the more the government will need to subsidise. It is a bottomless pit of government subsidies.”
Five bus companies in the city last week requested permission to raise their fares for their six franchises, with Citybus hoping for a 50 per cent increase on its airport routes.