Fare Discounts The Very Best We Could Do: MTR

The MTR Corporation said on Monday that it hopes the public will appreciate that it has done its very best to mitigate a 3.14 percent increase in ticket prices due to come into effect at the end of June.

The railway operator said concessions costing it some HK$500 million would mean passengers won’t even notice any increase for the rest of 2018 if they use Octopus cards or frequent traveller passes.

The concessions include a three percent rebate on trips until January and from Sunday, a HK$0.30 discount for passengers who switch from the MTR to a green minibus, or vice versa. Prices for monthly and City Saver passes are not due to go up.

The MTR Corporation’s Commercial Director, Jeny Yeung, said the railway operator has done its best not to leave passengers out of pocket.

“All in all, this is the very best that the company has in a way tried to package for the customers. I think it’s fairer to look at the package as a whole,” Yeung said.

Shortly before the fare increase was announced in March, the MTR Corporation said its profit had soared 64 percent last year to more than HK$16.8 billion.