Frank Chan: Bus Operators Can't Afford Fare Cuts

Transport Secretary Frank Chan has said that some bus operators are already in the red and can't afford to follow the MTR's example in cutting fares to help relieve pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.

Chan was asked on Saturday whether the administration had pressed bus companies to cut fares after the rail operator agreed to implement a 20 per cent discount for six months from July.

He said bus firms had been denied fare increases, which effectively made them cheaper for passengers, and the authorities had to consider the environment bus firms operated in.

He said the public could make use of the government's own fare rebate scheme, which had been made more generous.

Chan also admitted that the government's coronavirus relief measures won't cover every worker in the under-pressure sector, as he compared the administration's efforts to help the industry to fighting a fire.

Speaking on a radio programme on Saturday, Chan said subsidies for taxi drivers should be available within a month or two of application once the Legislative Council's Finance Committee approved the measures.

Full-time drivers will receive HK$6,000 per month for six months, while part-time drivers will receive a one-off HK$7,500 handout.

However, he said some drivers of green minibuses would miss out on the government's Employment Support Scheme, which will pay employers half of workers' wages for six months, capped at HK$9,000.

The subsidy will only apply to workers who receive Mandatory Provident Fund contributions from their employers, meaning that those aged over 65 will miss out.

"We all appreciate that there are drivers who are of age 65 or above," Chan said. "Because they don't have the MPF account, and therefore I understand from the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, that it will look into alternatives as to how to offer support to these green minibus drivers."

In 2018, 40 per cent of minibus drivers were aged over 60, according to a Legco paper.