Islands district councillors said upcoming ferry fare hikes may discourage elderly residents of outer islands from travelling, urging authorities to come up with special concessions to ease their financial burden.

From next month, fares for six major outlying island ferry routes will go up, including a 12.5 percent increase for standard journeys to Cheung Chau, Lamma, and inter-island services.

At a special Islands Council Traffic and Transport Committee meeting on Tuesday, many councillors said the elderly will suffer a "double blow" – the fare hikes coinciding with a revamp of the HK$2 transport subsidy scheme.

Under the revamp that will take effect on April 1 as well, beneficiaries must pay 20 percent of the fare for any trips that cost more than HK$10 - instead of the current flat HK$2 rate.

For an elderly passenger taking a high-speed ferry to Cheung Chau on Sundays or public holidays, the fare will rise to HK$9.50.

Some councillors urged the Transport Department to explore targeted concessions for elderly residents of outlying islands, such as granting them a special exemption from the revamped HK$2 subsidy scheme or offering alternative subsidies to mitigate the impact of the fare hike.

They also said since ferries are the only transit option for most outlying island residents, a double-digit percentage hike overall is not acceptable.

In response, principal transport officer Curtis Chiu stressed that authorities have weighed multiple factors to balance the operational challenges faced by ferry operators with the interests of residents.

He pointed out that the approved increases were lower than those applied, noting that operators had originally sought fare hikes of between 20 and 30 percent.

Many councillors also urged ferry operators to boost non-ticketing revenue, such as by renting out pier space more often.

They called on the Transport Department to upgrade pier infrastructure – such as constructing a footbridge to connect the second levels of the outlying islands ferry piers in Central – to make pier rentals more accessible and appealing to potential tenants.

Chiu said the department would continue discussions with operators on increasing non-ticketing income and stressed that authorities are seeking ways to improve infrastructure at the piers in the long term.



Edited by Edmond Fong