Letters | Don’t want bus fares hikes? Then fix our congested streets

Readers discuss the rationale for bus fare increases in Hong Kong, the proposal to limit access to public outpatient clinics, the ban on surfing, and direct flight routes to Southeast Asia

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Passengers boarding a public bus in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui district on November 12. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 11:30am, 25 Nov 2024

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I refer to your editorial, “Public expects rises in bus fares to be fair” (November 20).

While the public might expect the government to only permit bus companies to raise fares by a “fair” amount, our leaders also have a responsibility to create an environment in which these companies can earn a reasonable return on their huge investments.

If the Transport and Logistics Bureau and Legislative Council acquiesce to perceived populist sentiment and endorse low fare increases amid rising costs, the public should not expect a decent level of services such as expensive comfortable air-conditioned buses. If companies are obstructed from raising fares to adequately cover rising costs, we will end up with roads full of rust-bucket vehicles clanking along and belching out heavy black smoke, as witnessed in poor Southeast Asian countries.

Regrettably, far too many politicians fail to understand the complexities of operating an efficient transport system on public roads. One of the largest burdens faced by bus companies is their inability to adhere to operating schedules due to ever-present traffic congestion, especially in denser urban districts.

A major cause of this misery affecting everyone is the government’s inability to reduce traffic congestion by properly dealing with the explosive growth of private cars, which have invaded our public road space in downtown areas. There are now more than 700,000 private cars on our narrow streets. Our population is more than 7 million. The simple arithmetic indicates that only a relatively small minority of Hong Kong people are private car owners and users.