Hong Kong's Airport Express faces growing scrutiny as lawmakers warn that its upcoming fare increase could drive away more passengers at a time when the premium rail service is already struggling to regain its pre-pandemic ridership.

The MTR Corporation earlier confirmed plans to raise Airport Express fares by an average of 9.4 percent starting in June, with the Hong Kong Station-to-Airport trip increasing from HK$110 to HK$120, and the fare from Tsing Yi Station to the airport jumping from HK$65 to HK$73.

The Legislative Council transport panel meeting this morning saw MTR officials acknowledge that the line's market share has been declining over the past two years.

Lawmakers expressed concerns that the price hike might exacerbate the problem by pushing more travelers toward alternative transport options.

Lo Wai-kwok, a lawmaker and Airport Authority board member, noted the growing popularity of ride-hailing services like Uber among airport-bound passengers.

"We're observing more travelers opting for private hire vehicles because of their door-to-door convenience," said Lo.

Lawmaker Chan Hok-fung, meanwhile, questioned the timing of the price hike, suggesting the railway operator focus on retaining its core business travelers rather than trying to attract families who often find the service inconvenient when traveling with luggage.

In response, MTR managing director Jeny Yeung Mei-chun outlined several measures aimed at maintaining ridership.

These include offering free rides for children during peak travel periods like summer and Christmas holidays, maintaining existing group ticket discounts, and exploring new shuttle bus partnerships with hotels and airlines to improve connectivity.

Yeung revealed that current Airport Express ridership remains at just 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels, though she projected the fare adjustment would help the line achieve financial break-even by the 2028/29 fiscal year.

(Marco Lam)

Airport Express fare hike concerns lawmakers over further passenger decline