RTHK {L_WROTE}:
Judge dismisses ferry fares challenge07-10-2011
The High Court has dismissed a Cheung Chau resident's bid to get the large gap between weekday and holiday ferry fares reduced. In a judicial review, Kwok Cheuk-kin claimed that the Transport Department had failed to keep a promise to cut the difference from more than 40-percent to less than 20-percent.
However, Mr Justice Lam said Mr Kwok's case was unreasonable, since the department had only pledged to try and achieve that target in its last tender, and had made efforts to do so.
It's very good news that the TD is dragging their feet on this.
Those of us who actually live on the islands and regularly travel to HK from necessity would all, I think, be quite happy that tourists are gouged on Sundays to cross subsidise weekday fares. (Since Sunday returns from Lamma are normal price, only non-residents pay more.)
Last year when the Transport Department announced this policy of reducing the Sunday surcharge, they said it was because "residents demanded it". Which of course was a complete lie. And they had the nerve to further claim that this "did not necessarily mean that weekday fares would rise more", as "the ferry operators might decide to absorb the reduced income", a breathtakingly stupid and mendacious statement.
The only island residents who might want this are restaurant owners. Though I doubt it would really make any difference to their trade. We already have more tourists on Sunday than you can shake a stick at. The $5 or $10 more or less for the ferry would make no difference to their numbers, and the penny-pinchers aren't going to be buying big fish banquets with their savings on the fare.
I'm pretty sure that our own Yu Lai Fan was one of those who supported the reduced Sunday fares, looking out for the interests of her supporters as usual.
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