MTR Discount Won't Help Us Much: Bus Operator

An operator of green buses said on Monday that a concession offered by MTR to commuters using both modes of transport is not going to help them ramp up business.

The rail operator is to offer a 30 cent discount for six months to passengers who switch from the MTR to a green minibus, or vice versa from this Sunday.

"I don't think there's a huge increase or a big change in the patronage," said Hong Kong Scheduled Green Minibus Licensee Association's CEO, Chan Man-chun.

He said the association nonetheless welcomes the concession plan.

Chan also revealed that the association was notified about the concession about half a year ago. But he told told RTHK's Janice Wong that they only learned of the implementation date only when the plan was announced on Monday.

The MTR Corporation has been on the defensive over its concession plan, which has been criticised for being "stingy" after it racked up HK$16.8 billion in net profit last year.

Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, the MTR Corporation’s commercial director, Jeny Yeung, defended the offer, saying it would cost the company around HK$50 million, which she said was not a small figure.