Ferry fares for popular holiday destinations to go up starting May 1

The ferry fares for Tap Mun and Tung Ping Chau will go up starting from May 1, according to the Transport Department.

The fare for Tap Mun -- Wong Shek on weekdays is raised from HK$9.5 to $11, and the fare on weekends and holidays is raised from HK$14 to $16, increasing by 15.8 percent and 14.3 percent respectively. 

The original fares for Ma Liu Shui -- Tap Mun are HK$18 on weekdays and $28 on weekends and holidays. After increasing by 11.1 percent and 7.1 percent, the new fare would be HK20 and $30 respectively. 

The fare of a return trip between Ma Liu Shui to Tung Ping Chau is also raised from HK$90 to $100, which is a 11.1 percent increase. The price of concessionary round trip tickets for residents in Tung Ping Chau will also be raised from HK$50 to $60, increasing by 20 percent. 

Ben Tam Yi-pui, a Tai Po District Council member, objected to the price adjustment approved by the Transport Department. He said that there are still hundreds of people living at Tap Mun and nearby islands, and they rely on kaito ferry as their main transportation to urban areas. 

He added that the kaito ferry service doesn’t provide any discount to elderly and an increase of one to two dollars can still be a burden for them. 

He pointed out that the increase in price will not only affect tourists, but also affect others as many visit their families at Tap Mun during holidays. 

Tam urged the ferry company to provide travel packages to elderly, in order to alleviate the stress this price adjustment poses to them. 

The above three ferry routes are covered in the government’s Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme.