Passengers who use three Hong Kong bus companies have to pay up to 7.5% more on their trips starting January 5, 2025, after the Executive Council approved the operators’ applications to hike fares last month. Kowloon Motor Bus raised prices on all its routes by 4.3%, while Citybus and New Lantao Bus hiked fares by 7.5% and 6.5% respectively.
How much more will passengers have to pay?
According to a government spokesperson, “About four-fifths of passengers are expected to pay no more than HK$0.5 extra per trip, and about 95% of passengers are expected to pay no more than $1 extra per trip.” All three operators applied for fare increases early last year, with Kowloon Motor Bus requesting a 6.5% hike and Citybus asking for a 9.5% jump in prices on its Urban and New Territories routes. Only New Lantao Bus’s request for a 6.5% increase was approved by the Executive Council.
| BUS OPERATOR | APPLIED INCREASE | APPROVED INCREASE |
| Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) | 6.5% | 4.3% |
| Citybus (CTB) | 9.5% | 7.5% |
| New Lantao Bus (NLB) | 6.5% | 6.5% |
When was the last time bus fares were raised?
The three bus operators previously adjusted their prices in mid-2023, when the government sanctioned an up to 7% rise in fares for five companies. At the time, authorities gave Kowloon Motor Bus the green light for a 3.9% hike, while Citybus and New Lantao Bus passengers had to pay up to 4.9% and 7% more respectively.
Fares on Hong Kong’s public transportation networks have increased over the past couple of years. In June 2024, the MTR implemented an up to 3.09% rise in fares by considering factors like inflation, a wage index for transport workers, and MTR’s productivity and profitability. The actual increase for the year was 3.2%, but was capped at 3.09% because of the MTR’s affordability ceiling. However, the rail giant will likely recoup the remaining 0.11% over the following two years.
Taxi fares also went up by a maximum of 11% in 2024, with flag-fall rates going up by HK$2 for urban (red), Lantau (blue), and New Territories (green) cabs for the first 2km. There were also hikes in incremental fares of HK$0.1-HK$0.2 for all three taxis and changes in waiting time charges. In 2023, Hong Kong’s major ferry operators also asked passengers to pay more for their Central-Outlying Island trips, and sailings from Central to Hung Hom and North Point-Kwun Tong-Kai Tak.
Header image credits: LN9267 via WikiCommons
