Tunnel toll rise met with higher minibus fares
Some of the city’s minibus operators have increased fares on certain routes, after tolls for such vehicles using the Cross-Harbour Tunnel rose from HK$10 to HK$50 on Sunday. Cheung Hon-wah, chairman of the Hong Kong Public-light Bus Owner and Driver Association, said on Monday that fares for eight minibus routes have already gone up by between HK$2 and HK$6, and other services could also see increases. “It’s because we haven't encountered price spikes for a long time. If the government has to increase prices, we have no choice but to increase fares as well, to make up for the losses,” Cheung said on an RTHK programme.  “We don't want to increase fares by too much or we’ll lose customers to bus operators. All increased fees will go to the tunnel operators, drivers won't get anything more,” he added. Cheung urged the government to reduce the new fee, which applies to all three cross-harbour tunnels, to around HK$20. Meanwhile, Ringo Lee, vice-president of the Hong Kong, China Automobile Association, said new dynamic pricing for private cars and motorcycles using the three tunnels, which also came into effect on Sunday, is "too complicated" for motorists, and the government should review the arrangements after three months or half a year. “I'm urging every driver not to be in a rush simply because of the price increases. If you want to save money, then please go earlier or later. But if you can't change your commute time and have to go during peak hours, you'll need to accept the fact that you may pay up to about 40 dollars. I hope drivers will still be careful and won't be affected by the price changes too much. Safety is the most important thing,” he added. In response to concerns about the new tolls, Transport Secretary Lam Sai-hung said the prices are reasonable. “Everybody should know that charges for minibuses at the three harbour tunnels differed before we adjusted the charges. Now we charge them 50 dollars for the three tunnels. Prices rose at some tunnels but fell at others. In the past, the average charge was about 44 to 45 dollars, which was similar to the current level,” he said. Lam said the government will keep monitoring traffic flow at the three tunnels, adding that the situation appeared to be smooth on Monday morning.