FAM MTR's Exorbitant Fare Increase

http://edu.sina.com.hk/news/42/4/1/111748/1.html


【明報專訊】DESPITE a hefty profit of $14.7 billion last year, the MTR Corporation is set on a 5.4 percent fare increase based on the fare adjustment mechanism. The increase, expected to generate for the Corporation an additional profit of more than $600 million, has sparked widespread public outrage, and the transport panel of the Legislative Council has passed a non-binding resolution urging the MTR Corporation to suspend the proposed increase in view of its huge profits.
Mass transit systems in most countries or areas operate at a loss. The MTR is able to make fat profits principally because of preferential government policies. In addition to railway operations, the MTR has other sources of income, including commercial activities, property development, rental of retail and advertising space, and estate management, which last year amounted to about $12 billion, or 79 percent of the profit. This huge amount of non-fare revenue could not have been earned but for the Corporation's railway operations.
As far as regulations are concerned, the MTR has every right to raise its fares by 5.4 percent. After all, the figure is arrived at in accordance with the fare adjustment mechanism. This is why, in the face of opposition, government officials can unblushingly speak in MTR's defence, insisting that "the established mechanism has to be followed". It should however be noted that, as the fare adjustment formula was worked out by the government, the officials are just evading responsibility by saying that "rules must be observed".
But if we are to consider social justice, the MTR's role in society should not be that of a company run on purely commercial lines since it enjoys every advantage over its rivals under the government's preferential policies. In addition to the pursuit of money, there is something the MTR must not forget: social responsibility. While the fare increase planned is in accordance with regulations, it is against social justice. The MTR is bound to come up against fierce opposition if it insists on the ill-advised increase in fares.
To pacify the public, government officials in charge of transport declare that the fare adjustment mechanism will be reviewed, and that in addition to the consumer price index and wage index, the new formula may factor in the MTR's service and performance, as well as the affordability of the public. But is it not because of these government officials that the public is suffering from the ill-conceived mechanism? Moreover, as the government is the MTR's major shareholder, it most certainly is party to the proposed increase in fares. We are therefore convinced that the government should exercise its influence and have the MTR freeze its fares.
Chief Executive-elect Leung Chun-ying did not seem to be happy when commenting on the MTR's proposed fare increase. He believes that the fare adjustment mechanism should take into account three factors, namely the affordability of the public, the MTR's earnings from property development projects, and the quality of service provided. Leung's concerns are quite different from the current government officials', and his emphasis on the MTR's earnings from property development projects marks a fundamental departure from the fare adjustment formula currently in force. We can probably see in this how Leung's political beliefs are different from those of the incumbent government.
The government has all these years so unduly favoured the business sector that the public has come to resent what is commonly called "collusion between the government and the business sector", and this has given rise to society's deep-seated conflicts. While it remains to be seen what changes Leung will bring about, there is no denying that Leung's rise to power is partly the result of our social atmosphere.
明報社評 2012.04.19﹕由港鐵加價賺到盡 看社會變革的土壤
港鐵去年勁賺147億元，港鐵仍然按票價可加可減機制，加價5.4%，估計車費可多收超過6億元，引起市民極大憤慨。立法會交通事務委員會通過無約束力議案，要求港鐵在巨額盈利下擱置加價。
各國和地區營運的集體運輸系統，大多虧蝕，港鐵有此可觀盈利，是政策傾斜的結果。除了鐵路營運盈利，港鐵去年其餘79%盈利、即約120億元，來自商業營運、物業發展、租金收入和管理收入等，這些都是營運鐵路給港鐵帶來的巨大界外效益。
就法規而言，港鐵大條道理加價5.4%，因為此乃按可加可減機制計算所得，所以主事官員面對反對聲音，可以臉不紅、耳不赤地以「根據機制辦理」來為港鐵說項。不過，港鐵可加可減機制方程式，當年由政府制定，所謂依法辦事，只是政府和官員的推卸責任之辭。
就情理而言，政府政策讓港鐵盡得其利，則港鐵在社會所扮演角色，就不應是純粹按商業原則營運的公司，不能只向錢看，必須顧及和履行一定社會責任。所以，港鐵今次加價，合法而乖離情理，如果執迷不悟，勢必惹來強烈反彈。
主 事官員表示檢討港鐵可加可減機制，研究除了物價和工資因素外，加入港鐵服務水平、服務表現和市民負擔能力等因素，意圖紓緩市民不滿。其實，機制缺漏使市民 受害，乃官員一手造成；另外，政府是港鐵最大股東，在此事上，絕對不是局外人。所以，我們認為，政府應該運用影響力，迫使港鐵凍結票價。
候 任特首梁振英評論港鐵票價加幅，言語之間也不以為然，他認為檢討港鐵可加可減機制，應考慮3個因素，包括市民負擔能力、港鐵地產項目利潤、票價水平是否與 服務質素符合等。梁振英這些關注點，與現在主事官員的說法有不同，特別是梁振英說港鐵票價與地產項目利潤掛鈎，屬於根本轉變，這個，或許也是梁振英在理念 上與現屆政府的不同之處。
多年來，政府向商界過分傾斜，種種情况使市民認為官商勾結，因而怨聲載道，社會深層次矛盾與此有關。梁振英會帶來什麼變革，且待觀察和驗證，社會有土壤讓他冒起，卻是客觀事實。