The Transport and Logistics Bureau said on 14 October that it understood MTR Corporation had no current plan to adjust its HK$2 fare concession scheme.
The position comes as MTR Corporation reviews the scheme’s sustainability. The operator has said the role of concession stations has changed since the scheme was introduced. It is also considering different fare-promotion models.
The scheme began in 2002 to encourage people who live or work some distance from a railway station to walk to one. Riders tap an adult Octopus card at a concession reader before entering a designated station, and receive a HK$2 fare discount.
There are 41 locations: four on Hong Kong Island, 18 in Kowloon and 19 in the New Territories, according to the bureau. The busiest concession station is at the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System.
MTR Corporation pays the full cost of the discounts. The bureau said figures for usage, operating costs and the total value of discounted fares are the operator’s internal commercial information.
The bureau was asked whether the government would require consultation with the Legislative Council and the public, and an alternative at least as generous as the current concession, before any reduction or cancellation. It did not directly answer, saying instead that the government encourages public-transport operators to offer fare concessions while taking operating, social and economic conditions into account, and that MTR Corporation would continue to review and update its promotional measures from time to time and communicate with stakeholders.