Transport Department's statement on bus fares

A Transport Department spokesman said today (April 9) that fares of Tseung Kwan O (TKO) bus routes were comparable to fares on routes of a similar journey distance from other new towns in the New Territories.

In response to media enquiries, the spokesman pointed out that franchised bus fares were charged according to the Scale of Fares approved by the Chief Executive-in-Council.

He said that bus routes in different route groups (e.g. NT as compared to Kowloon) charged different fares mainly due to differences in the operating environment of the areas they serve.

"Bus fares are also affected by factors such as journey distance and vehicle type," he added.

"The bus operating environment in new towns like TKO is different from that in urban areas. In general, the passenger demand pattern on new town bus routes is characterized by long journey distance with fewer bus stops and enroute passengers, very high passenger demand during peak hours in the peak direction and low demand in the non-peak direction and during off-peak hours.

"As bus fares should be set at a financially viable level, fares of some new town bus routes would be higher than urban bus routes."

To improve the bus network for TKO, KMB introduced a bus-bus interchange (BBI) scheme on Kwun Tong Road on March 26, 2000. Under the scheme, passengers from TKO using KMB Route 296A (TKO (Sheung Tak) - Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station) to interchange with 5 KMB routes for destinations in NT (38, 70X, 74X, 89X and 269C) will be provided with a fare discount of $2.70 for non air-conditioned service and $3.50 for air conditioned service.

Sunday, April 9, 2000