As I'm back in Hong Kong, I'll talk about one of the most recent changes in this port city. If you have been to Hong Kong, you will appreciate the efficiency and effectiveness of the railway/metro system here. On average, 1 in 3 Hong Kong citizen travel on the MTR and KCR every day, approximately 2.5 million people. Although that might not appear as the grandest of numbers as such, the merger between the two transportation entities is nonetheless momumental in Hong Kong.
Benefits of the merger:
- No fare increase for 24 months from date of announcement.
- Second boarding charge of $1-$7 is abolished.
- Global fare reduction of $0.20 for all Octopus users.
- Minimum 5% fare reduction for fares between $8.50 and $11.90; minimum 10% fare reduction for fares above $12.
- $2 reduction for senior concessionary fares per trip on Sundays and public holidays.
Interestingly, all these proposed (and now implemented) benefits are geared towards reducing prices. What about improved service and hours? What about more trains per hour and more assistance in transiting between rails?
I called the customer service center to see if any of the trains run later through the night. Apparently not.
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