Some tinkering needed to help minibuses ride out challenges

The minibus quota will be maintained at 4,350 until 2027, according to a Legislative Council resolution passed yesterday, but lawmakers said the government should improve services and subsidize the sector.

Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan told legislators there are 3,333 green and 1,016 red minibuses as of Friday – close to the 4,350 quota set out under the Road Traffic Ordinance.

Huge changes in the patronage of the public transport system are unlikely, Chan added, so a change in quotas might tip the balance of the roles and functions of various public transport or even cause conflicts and vicious competition.

“People’s traveling patterns have changed amid the pandemic so it is not the time to [increase] the minibus quota, while extending it for five years will provide a relatively stable business environment for the industry to ride out the challenges,” he said.

Chan added that the minibus market share remained at 14 percent amid the pandemic, showing that demand remained stable.

Chan said the government has already added a system in its green minibus operators selection scheme to allow operators that are affected by new railway lines to have an increased chance of winning tenders for new routes.

Lawmaker Ben Chan Han-pan from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong agreed to sticking with the quota as minibuses are “doing a vital job” in serving people living in secluded areas.
“But the industry is now encountering difficulties and the government should consider providing it with assistance,” he said.

Tony Tse Wai-chuen, of the architectural, surveying, planning and landscape sector, said stepping up the quality of services is more important than considering its number. Tse said legislation should not be “extended five years after five years without changing anything.”

He added: “The quality of red minibuses also differs from one another, while some are really poor and they drive at a very high speed on the road and will steal customers from other operators,” Tse said.

He added that with patronage and quality of service dropping “it is hard to attract young blood to enter the industry.”

In response, Fan said: “The government is aware of the hardship the minibus industry is enduring and we have a series of feasible measures to help them financially, including changing and reforming minibus routes and fare adjustments.”

Meanwhile, the Transport Department said that since yesterday, the number of green minibus routes covered under the real-time arrival information system has been extended from 313 to 391 to facilitate passengers’ trip planning.

A spokesman said the system has been operating smoothly since its launch last year.

“The department will continue to work closely with the trade to upload the real-time arrival information of the remaining 150 green minibus routes in phases, with a view to achieving full implementation by the end of this year,” he said.

Passengers can check the estimated arrival and departure times at bus stops and terminals on the HKeMobility mobile app.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com