Fares up, free rides over as Star Ferry tries to stay afloat

Leopold Chen

Star Ferry trips across Victoria Harbour now cost up to HK$6.50 - 55 percent more on average - as the 125-year-old transport operator struggles to remain in business amid mounting financial woes.

Upper-deck adult passengers taking the 10-minute ride from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui have to pay HK$5 on weekdays, up 56 percent from HK$3.20, while those traveling on the lower deck pay HK$4, or 56 percent more, from HK$2.60.

Adults traveling between Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai pay HK$5 on weekdays, instead of HK$3.20, or up 56 percent. The weekend fare is HK$6.50, up 55 percent from HK$4.20.

Free travel for seniors aged 65 and above has been scrapped.

The elderly, children aged between three and 12, and persons with disability pay HK$2.90 and HK$2.80 to ride from Tsim Sha Tsui to Wan Chai on upper and lower decks on weekdays, while the fares increase to HK$3.90 and HK$3.70 on weekends.

The fares between Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai for this group are now HK$2.90 on weekdays and HK$3.90 at weekends, respectively.

Under the Transportation Department's HK$2 scheme, holders of a JoyYou Card or a personalized Octopus with "persons with disabilities status" printed with a photo, and senior citizens holding anonymous elder Octopus or personalized Octopus can get any ferry ride for HK$2.

The price for monthly passes also increased 18 percent from HK$160 to HK$190 for each route, while the four-day traveler's tickets, which enable unlimited rides on both routes within the valid period, jumped 56 percent from HK$32 to HK$50. Commenting on the fare rise, a passenger relying on the ferry for her daily commute said the higher fares placed more burden on her budget.

"I think the fare increase is too much. I take the ferry to and from work every day and now I have to cut my budget on shopping," she said. But others said the increase was justified.

"It takes more than 15 minutes from the pier to get on the MTR train before we can cross the harbor, but it only takes a few minutes to cross the harbor by ferry," a passenger said.

"I would rather pay more for ferry rides than seeing its suspension."

Another said: "It is normal after so many years of fare freeze. And the new prices are still affordable. The Star Ferry definitely deserves conservation as many of our old memories are disappearing."

Chen, a tourist from Guangzhou, also voiced his support for the fare rise.

"I worry about the Star Ferry closing down with its low prices in the past. It is an icon of Hong Kong and tourists will indeed support the ferry," he said.

The rise in fares comes as patronage of ferry services declined during the pandemic.

It further worsened in 2022 as the MTR East Rail Line extended to Hong Kong Island in May.

The operator's figure showed that patronage of the Wan Chai route dropped 22 percent in June and 33 percent in July compared to 2021, while it logged a historically low average patronage of 50 people per sailing in the first half of 2022.

Authorities approved the fare increases on January 31.

leopold.chen@singtaonewscorp.com