Members of the public on Saturday took advantage of the MTR Corporation's first half-fare day, although some passengers said they thought a previous discount arrangement worked better.

The MTR is offering passengers a 50 percent discount on fares for trips on Saturday and Sunday this week, and will repeat the scheme next Thursday and Friday.

Last month, the railway giant revised its Service Performance Rebate (SPR) policy, which included arranging half-fare days to make up for the impact of train service disruptions last year. The scheme replaces an older rebate scheme where passengers could claim back 3 percent per journey.

Some parents told RTHK they had saved a lot of money thanks to the discount, while others said they planned to take advantage of it to make longer-distance trips to Tung Chung or Shenzhen.

“It’s good that [the company] gives out the half-price discount, and is willing to offer more discounts to citizens, no matter what the reason," one man said. "Because the living prices are soaring now.”

However, another passenger said it was better to cut fares on weekdays instead of on weekends.

“It's better on weekdays – Monday to Friday, when more people commute," he said. "Then the [service disruption] penalties are stricter. On Saturdays and Sundays, fewer people go out, and some are traveling abroad or to mainland China.”