A mainland female postgraduate student has claimed on social media that she faced different treatment when she was checked by MTR staff in a first-class East Rail Line carriage, depending on which identity document she produced.
She said she was travelling from Hung Hom to Mong Kok East when her Octopus card failed to confirm first-class approval. She initially intended to show her Hong Kong identity card, but claimed staff told her that registering with the ID card would incur a HK$1,000 fine, and asked if she had a mainland travel permit. After she registered with the permit, she received a written warning under a notice of bylaw contravention instead of a fine.
The MTR said its ticketing system is designed to protect fare-paying passengers and that it takes the mechanism's fairness seriously. It said the staff member asked for additional documents based on the issue date of the initially presented ID to check for a fare-evasion record. After confirming the passenger had no previous record, staff issued a written warning under established procedures and reminded her that a surcharge would apply if it happened again.
The MTR said the approach was consistent with its usual handling and that requesting additional documents was to verify fare-evasion records. It expressed regret that the passenger misunderstood the handling, but said explanations are generally not appropriate during ticket inspections. It stressed that a passenger's background or type of identity document is never a factor in whether a warning, surcharge or other follow-up is issued.
