HKKF has just applied to increase their ferry fares by $2 per ride!

That's another almost 20% increase ($11 + $2) just 1 year after the last 10% increase. Like last time, no improvements of any kind in service quality or frequency (late ferries!) have been announced.

The monthly ticket will rise to $540, which is about 10% of the total net income of many Lammaites working in town.

It's now up to the Transport Dept. to approve or reduce this increase, they're unlikely to simply refuse it.

Is it time to get rid of HKKF? Would First Ferry be a better choice, or not?

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pretty bloody cheeky just 1 year after their last hike! Especially since they haven't even made any token jestures of service improval.

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Complaints about the ferry service should be made to the Transport Department,--- the "Citizens Easylink" number is 1823. They in turn are obliged to follow it up with the HKKF, which is a pain in the ass Im sure--- particularly if all of us make it part of our morning ritual to show them to be the bunch of shitters they are.

I think this regards the Aberdeen-Pak Kok-YSW service , not the YSW-Central one.

This concerns ALL of HKKF's routes.
They're asking for $2 more on all of their 3 routes to our island, as listed in detail on Chinese TV and RTHK today.
And the monthly ticket will increase from $495 to $540, affecting everybody as well.

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HKKF provide a comfortable, reliable, smoke-free environment which is worth every penny. $2 more is nothing, at $20 a trip it would still be a bargain.
As Stephen Ip (Transport Minister) said, 'Ich bin ein Doppelwopper'
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In that case, I stand corrected.

They claim to have lost $27 million last year, which seems a bit careless.

Stand corrected again:


"Accumulated losses"; i.e. since they took over, and 23 not 27 million.

Personally I'm very dubious of those claims. They've probably hived off all the profit from the other activities (tours, etc) they run, income from the Central piers, granted to them as part of the franchise, to leave the largest possible loss they can cry about. HYF did the same.

I seem to remember quite clearly that a little over one year ago, at the last fare increase, HKKF talked in public of HK$10 million accumulated losses till then..

I don't think they actually lost $13 million in a single year, so something's definitely fishy here, or they're a very poorly managed company, or both...

For whoever might be interested, I've just put a little polemic rant onto the home page...

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1. Competition is good.

2. How likely do you think it is that they will ask for a decrease this summer should oil prices drop?

3. At the very least, they should be required to stop those irritating, useless, 3-language announcements as part of an increase deal. Do we need to be told in 3 languages that the ferry is reaching its destination when there is only one destination? Do we really need to be told in to remain seated when everyone around us is lining up? Do we really need to be told about smoking fines when there are signs all over the place? Do we not have the right to a little peace and quiet during our morning ride?

4. Price increases are an unimaginative way to deal with an unprofitable situation.

So there!

I see that there is a huge pontoon parked steathily at the front of the pier, I also notice that there is a first ferry logo on it, as well as this the paint on it seems to resemble first ferry paintjob.

Here's the SCMP story
<hr>
<b>Lamma Island ferry firm to apply for fare increase </b>
FELIX CHAN
Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry plans to seek a $2 fare increase on its Lamma Island service to curb mounting losses caused by soaring fuel costs. The increase - a year after the ferry operator's last fare rise - would apply only to its Monday-to-Saturday service. Monthly tickets would cost $45 more.
Islands District Council chairman Lam Wai-keung said he feared the proposed fare increase, which came a fortnight after New World First Ferry raised fares to Cheung Chau, Peng Chau and Mui Wo, would further hurt the economies of the outlying islands. "The scale of the increase is shocking as it deviates from inflation and is at least 10 per cent. I hope the government considers inflation when assessing the application," he said.

Lau Kong-wah, chairman of Legco's transport panel, urged the government not to approve the fare rise as salaries had not increased despite the economic recovery. He said the ferry operator should seek to impose a fuel surcharge instead.

Speaking on Metro Radio yesterday, Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry Holdings general manager Nelson Ng said the company had accumulated losses of $23 million and expected to lose another $7 million this year due to oil prices which had trebled since it took over the routes in 2000.

"Even raising fares by 10 cents will be opposed nowadays. We are only making the application after having studied our financial expenditure carefully," he said.

"To be frank, we need to increase fares by $3 to $4 in order to balance the books. But we have to consider the well-being of the island residents as well."

"The increase - a year after the ferry operator's last fare rise - would apply only to its Monday-to-Saturday service."

Why should only commuters shoulder the cost?

What are they doing to the YSW pier to have a pontoon there? I thought I read a notice that some ferries would be using it. They've built a big enough hole in the back wall for it to take people through.

bbdog: i think the New World colours are more likely who they brought it off and then couldn't be arsed to re-paint it into shining HKKF logos.

Eitherway, if they use that floating death trap as an extension for the pier I will wait for the next one. If they have a fast ferry using it, they could surely not still have a surcharge?

Could anyone in the Chinese forum find out how much one of those mainlander charter cruises costs per package/person? Where do people hear about them? I'd love to see who is benefiting from them outside of HKKF.

The pontoon went into operation yesterday afternoon, Saturday, Mar 11.

As I've announced in detail in the Blog on Jan 17, it'll be there for several MONTHS, till end of next month at least.
Quoting my Blog:

<img src="http://www.compunicate.com/Lamma-zine/Blog/2006-01/ferry-pontoon-3313-b.gif" border=1 align=left hspace=10>"The timber fenders around the YSW ferry pier need to be replaced. The repair work is scheduled from Feb-April this year. A temporary pontoon will be docked at the end of the ferry pier and the ferries will be docking there. Passengers will have to go to the end of the ferry pier, through a temporary door onto the pontoon, then onto the ferry.

Maybe this fancy, double decker pontoon is the reason that HKKF lost $13 million last year! It looks dangerous but expensive!!!

Fortunately for HKKF's bottomline the pier repair works will probably be paid by the govt. as the pier belongs to them. Otherwise HKKF might have asked for doubling of the ferry fares...

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This is the bit that makes me sick- not only do the residents get screwed on the timings and speed of service, but now we have to subsidise the tourist fares. Tourists would either not know or care if the ferry cost 20 dollars as opposed to 17 dollars- they're only doing it once or twice a year and it would still be less than the taxi cost to get them to the ferry pier.

I'd also be quite interested to know if that steel barge has passed a health and safety test as come rainy season and typhoons it'll be a nightmare. There needs to be a show against the company like the Nui Wo residents did (though I'm not volunteering to jump into the harbour!).

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I like my neighbour's house- it's right up my street.

The pontoon is either borrowed or on loan during the rennovation of our pier. I think it belongs to First Ferry (it has a FF logo) and the upper deck seems to be designed for the 3-decker ferries. A similar discussion on the Chinese forum has revealed that the pontoon we got has recently done a similar stint in Peng Chau.

A little word of advice: the floor could get quite slipppery, so take extra care when getting on board!

I think we all have to do something to against about this matter.......samson, according to the chinese forum, u said we have to plan how to do next carefully for more further action..basically, i agree with you that we should combine together to have our voices heard, but i think it's time to create something and start to rally for support.....

Did I? I was only trying to get as many ideas out in the open as possible. Perhaps the relevant authorities will take on board our views? Maybe... or maybe I was daydreaming.

Any more practical ideas to voice our objections then? Apart from Lammadonna's signature campaign which kicks off in the morning, the suggestions in the Chinese forum thus far are a protest march and a rally...

Oh heck, let's have a jolly WTO style protest at the pontoon! We got drummers, dancers, sinful food already at our finger tips... I'm sure all the construction materials at the pier could be useful too...

We (not literally including myself here) could jump off the pier and "symbolically" try to swim to HK. Worked for the Korean farmers, and the chicken merchants did it today too.