Passengers decry minibus fare increases as time-varying cross-harbour tunnel tolls kick in

Minibus drivers and passengers complained about the increased fare brought by the time-varying charge implemented on the three cross-harbor tunnels on Sunday.

At least eight cross-harbor minibus routes have raised their fares by up to 43 percent as commercial vehicles have to pay HK$50 from the previous HK$10 for using the cross-harbor tunnel in Hung Hom under the new arrangement.

The three tunnels adopted different tolls for different time slots starting at 5 am this morning. 

Under the new arrangement, the three cross-harbor tunnels would charge a flat rate of HK$20 before 10.15 am during general holidays and HK$25 from 10.15 am to 7.15 pm.

The toll for private cars is HK$60 for Western Harbour Crossing and HK$40 for the Cross Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Crossing during peak hours from Monday to Saturday, while HK$20 would be charged for non-peak hours.

During the “transitional time slots” leading up to the morning and evening rush hours, the toll will go up at a rate of HK$2 every two minutes. The tolls will decrease at the same rate outside of the busiest hours.

With the new tolls kicking in, at least eight red minibus routes that pass through the tunnel have raised their fares. 

The route with the highest fare increase is the Wan Chai to Tsz Wan Shan route, which has increased from HK$14 to HK$20 - a 43 percent increase. 

Some passengers have criticized this fare increase as excessive compared to other cross-harbor minibusses and have stated that they will no longer take these routes in the future.

While some other passengers have expressed understanding that the minibusses need to raise fares to sustain their operations, they still find the fare increase substantial.

One passenger told reporters that he would only consider taking minibusses when pressed for time and would consider alternatives otherwise.