Ferry fares between Hong Kong’s Central district and Discovery Bay will rise by as much as 21 per cent from Sunday, resulting in visitors and those paying in cash being charged HK$55.80 (US$7.20) per trip.
The increment announced by the Transport Department on Friday was lower than the anticipated 60 per cent increase proposed earlier by the ferry operator.
Discovery Bay Transportation Services, a subsidiary of developer HKR International, operates the 25-minute ferry trips to and from the Lantau Island development, popular with the expat community.
The latest fare structure stipulated in the government gazette will see a single-journey increase from the current HK$46 to HK$55.80 for adults paying in cash and those using Octopus cards that are not registered with Discovery Bay Services Management.
New fares for elderly passengers aged 65 or older using the same payment methods, as well as children aged between one and 12, will be increased to HK$27.90 from the current HK$23.
Adult residents whose Octopus cards have been registered with the service’s management will pay HK$38.20 – a 14 per cent increase from the current price.
Elderly passengers with recognised Octopus cards will pay HK$24, while full-time students living in Discovery Bay aged under 26 and children aged between one and 12 will be charged HK$19.10.
The last time the fares were adjusted was more than six years ago, in June 2018, according to a document submitted by the department to Central and Western District Council.
The document said that while passenger numbers had dropped, operating costs such as wages and fuel had been increasing, with revenue generated “insufficient to cover the rising operating costs”.
“An appropriate fare adjustment can help sustain the operation of the ferry service to continue providing water transport services for Discovery Bay residents and visitors,” the department said.
The department said the decision to raise prices was made after considering views from the public and factors such as operating costs, revenues and anticipated changes in the rate of return, as well as past performance of the service.
It added that the ferry operator would be encouraged to explore feasible measures to improve its financial situation, such as introducing additional sources of “non-farebox revenues”.
District councillor Jonathan Chow Yuen-kuk, who earlier argued that the anticipated 60 per cent rise was “unacceptable”, said the current increment, including the 14 per cent for residents, was “still very high”.
“It will be a huge financial burden for frequent travellers such as those who need to take the ferry to Central to work and families with children whose schools are in Central,” Chow said.
Chow proposed having discounts and special schemes for frequent passengers under the fare adjustment, such as offering two free trips after completing 18.
“It will be a win-win solution as it minimises the economic burden for the frequent passengers and attracts more people to choose the ferry at the time,” Chow said.
