'Bus Fare Hikes Will Worsen Airport Staff Shortage'

Airport workers have complained that Citybus’s recent application for a 50 percent fare hike on its airport services, if approved, will drastically add to their financial burden and make airport jobs even less attractive.

All of Hong Kong’s five franchised bus companies recently applied to the government to increase their fares, with Kowloon Motor Bus, Long Win Bus and New Lantao Bus wanting hikes of around 9 percent.

New World First Bus and Citybus, meanwhile, have asked for an across-the-board increase of HK$2. Citybus is also seeking to raise fares by 50 percent on its airport services

During a press conference on Thursday, the Staff and Workers Union of Hong Kong Civil Airlines said they're very concerned about the proposed steep hike on airport bus routes, saying workers will be forced to fork out even more on transport costs.

The union’s chairman, Li Wing-foo, noted that many airport workers had suffered a pay cut and had their allowances slashed during the pandemic.

If the fare hike is approved, he said many staff won’t be able to handle a sharp rise in travelling expenses and will be forced to switch jobs.

He warned that staff shortages at the airport will undermine the recovery of the aviation sector.

FTU lawmaker Michael Luk urged officials to consider bringing in mitigation measures.

"First, the Airport Authority and other transportation operators need to create an airport staff specialised bus line to meet the needs of its workers. A lot of workers either can’t get on the bus due to busy lines or have to stand, which is hard since their job already requires a lot of standing," he said.

"Obviously we hope the service can be free or at least at a reasonable price."

The union also proposed offering airport employees a special monthly pass so that they can make unlimited rides to the airport on buses or the MTR.

Citybus said in response that the company will offer airport workers additional discounts if the proposed fare increases are approved by the government.

"We understand that the original fare increase would inevitably increase the economic burden on airport employees. Therefore, we have decided to increase the discount rate that we already offer to them which already provides discounted fares for travel," the company’s spokesperson said in a statement.

"Using an example, for Citybus route A10, airport employees originally enjoyed a discount of around 40 percent off the original fare. After the new fares are implemented, this discount will be expanded to around 50 percent off the fare.”

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