On Wednesday's Backchat, our subject is transport fare increases.

The MTR Corporation has announced that fares will rise by 3.09 percent from June. The increase aligns with the Fare Adjustment Mechanism, which takes into account the corporation's property development profits, the inflation rate, and the wage index in the transport sector.


Under the current system, MTR fares can be adjusted in accordance with the mechanism formula once a year without approval being needed from the authorities. The mechanism is subject to review every five years.


In the later part of the programme at 9:45, we'll look into the Discovery Bay transport operator's proposals to increase its ferry's fares by up to 60 percent.


9:05am-9:45am: MTR's 3.09% fare increase


9:05am-9:15am: Michael Tien, Roundtable lawmaker
9:15am-9:30am: Andy Kwan, Director, ACE Centre for Business and Economic Research
9:30am-9:45am: Sze Lai-shan, Deputy Director, Society for Community Organization


9:45am-10:00am: Discovery Bay ferry operator's 60% fare hike proposals

9:45-10:00am: Elizabeth Bosher, Discovery Bay resident and former Deputy Secretary for Economic Services, Hong Kong Government