Minibus Company Scraps 4 Routes, Despite Subsidy

A minibus operator on Thursday said it's going to sack all the drivers on four of its routes, despite the government's new offer to pay part of workers' wages.

The company didn't say how many drivers will lose their jobs.

The four routes - between Whampoa Garden, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon Tong, will stop running from Friday.

The company said it had lost at least HK$2mn after passenger numbers plunged following the opening of a new MTR line last year, and now the pandemic.

It said the government wage subsidy announced on Wednesday did nothing to change its decision.

One of the affected drivers blamed the government, saying it should have rolled out the subsidy earlier. The 66-year-old said he'd already taken a pay cut last month of about tHK$3,000.

Another driver, who's 76 years old, said he'd probably have to apply for welfare, as it would be hard for him to find a new job.

The minibus operator later said it had met with officials from the Department of Transport and agreed to keep two of the routes running until Saturday.