Citizens and tourists alike will have a great reason to go out and about, as Hong Kong’s railway operator MTR Corporation is offering half-price rides for one day next month. Mark your calendars: on Sunday, July 13, all MTR passengers can enjoy 50 percent off their fares for the day.
Travellers can enjoy this discount on the MTR, the light rail, the MTR bus service, as well as cross-border trips that run to and from Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations. The discount is applicable to passengers who tap in using Octopus cards or QR code tickets. This ‘Thank You Day’ is in response to the significant disruption that occurred on May 22, where a “power supply disruption” resulted in the entirety of the Tseung Kwan O line being shut down for over five hours during the evening peak rush.
In addition to the half-price rides on July 13, MTR is also offering a free ride to passengers who were affected by the Tseung Kwan O line – those who have entered or exited stations along that rail line between May 18 and June 15 with their Octopus cards are entitled to one free MTR ride.
In order to claim this complimentary travel, passengers need to register on the MTR mobile app by June 15, and will then receive the free ride by June 20. To ensure this initiative runs smoothly, service counters will be available at North Point, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O, and Tiu Keng Leng stations from 3pm to 8pm on June 6 to 8 and June 13 to 15. MTR staff will be on hand to assist in app registration and linking Octopus cards where needed.
This form of recompense was introduced with MTR’s revised service performance rebate policy, which dictates that the railway operator has to offer half-fare compensation when costs from disrupted services exceed $25 million. MTR has allocated $19.2 million in reimbursement to affected Hongkongers, which will fund July’s discounted rides.
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