Discovery Bay ferry fares to rise 9.5pc from May 12

A Discovery Bay councillor says residents are outraged after the government approved their ferry operator's 9.5 per cent average fare rise application, which takes effect from May 12.

Under the new fares, adult Octopus card users travelling between Central and Discovery Bay would be charged HK$37 for each day ride, up from the current HK$33.80. Children, pupils under 18 who live there, and the elderly would pay HK$18.5 per ride, up from HK$16.90. At night, adults would pay HK$52.70, up from HK$48. Children, students and the elderly would pay HK$33.80, up from HK$31.

Transport card users would pay a new fare of 36.3 points, up from 33.1 points, per day ride. Students under 18 who live in Discovery Bay, children and the elderly would be charged 18.2 points, up from 16.6 points.

The Transport Department said the new fares - proposed by Discovery Bay Transportation Services, the ferry route operator owned by Lantau developer HKR International - were approved after careful evaluation of the service's prevailing and anticipated operating conditions and passenger affordability.

But even after the fare adjustment, the operator would not break even, the department said. It added that it understood residents' objections, but the ferry company had said it would stop operating if it could not reduce its projected loss through the fare adjustment.

Discovery Bay district councillor Amy Yung Wing-sheung said residents were outraged that the department had caved in to the developer's threats, and put its interests above those of residents. "The threat to withdraw the vital ferry service highlights the developer's complete lack of responsibility ... yet when it comes time to review the fare application, the department ignores the profits that HKR makes in property development and tells us it would have cancelled the service if it had not approved the application," Yung said.