LegCo Panel on Transport
Basis for Determining Fares for the MTR Tsuen Wan Line

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Introduction

1. Tsuen Wan District Board Members have raised queries on a number of occasions about the fairness of the MTR fares for the Tsuen Wan Line. These queries arose from the higher MTR fare from Tsuen Wan to Tsim Sha Tsui than from Kwun Tong to Tsim Sha Tsui despite the same number of stations being travelled for both journeys. MTRC explained to the Members at the District Board Meetings the rationale behind this fare structure as follows.

Rationale

2. The fare structure of the MTR system is principally distance-related having due regard to other considerations such as value for money and passenger convenience. This approach has been consistently adopted in determining the fare structures of the three MTR lines.

3. Generally speaking, a particular fare is set to allow a passenger to travel over the same number of stations. However, there are exceptions where for good reasons different fares are charged for the same number of stations travelled.

4. The journey from Tsuen Wan to Tsim Sha Tsui versus that from Kwun Tong to Tsim Sha Tsui is one of the examples. Although the number of stations travelled for the two movements is identical, the journey from Kwun Tong to Tsim Sha Tsui involves a circuitous route. In order to compensate for the inconvenience caused by a less direct alignment, a lower fare is charged.

5. Figure 1 shows diagrammatically how different fares to Tsim Sha Tsui are charged for the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong Lines.

Conclusion

6. MTRC will continue to explain to any interested parties the above rationale for having different fares for the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong Lines to Tsim Sha Tsui, and to maintain a flexible but reasonable fare structure in response to different market conditions.

Mass Transit Railway Corporation
22 Nov 1996

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