Hong Kong minibus operators facing desperate times appeal for new routes to ensure survival
- Vehicles left idle because of Covid-19, ‘up to half of minibus operators struggling’
- Operators ask authorities to stop favouring MTR, buses, acknowledge role of minibuses
Hong Kong’s minibus operators want the government to end its “favouritism” towards bus and rail services and start paying them more attention, saying they are in desperate straits.
Among other things, they want the authorities to recognise their role in the city’s public transport scene, develop a policy for the sector and offer them new routes to ensure their survival.
“Last year, minibus operators saw business drop by over 60 per cent on average, with a loss of more than HK$10,000 [US$1,290] per month for every minibus they run,” Hong Kong Taxi and PLB Association chairman Chau Kwok-keung told the Post.
He said up to half the city’s minibus operators were struggling and without government help, many would be pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. “The trade is dying,” he said.
The government only attaches importance to buses and the MTR. It seems the government wants to phase out minibuses and marginalise the sector