渡輪服務靠補貼 長貧難顧無底洞

港府繼前年破例以公帑補貼六條主要離島渡輪航線三年,以減輕渡輪公司營運虧損避免加價,又計劃在明年再延續補貼三年,投放公帑金額更增加逾六成。左三年、右三年,當局補貼離島渡輪服務已成趨勢,容易養成船公司不思進取,食大鍋飯心態。

事實上,即使當局延續補貼計劃,營運這六條離島航線的兩間船公司,已聲言日後仍需申請加價以抵銷通脹影響,可見船公司視補貼為理所當然,而不是避免加價的額外財源。當局一再提供補貼,是否有要求船公司改善成本效益,確保公帑用得其所,不致成為資助船公司的虧損呢?有立法會議員認為應把補貼用於提升船公司人力資源及服務方面,讓乘客直接得益,並非沒有道理。

其實,合併部分離島航線有助船公司提高成本效益,當局曾經建議整合中環至坪洲及中環至梅窩兩條航線,透過縮班減輕虧損,可惜建議遭大嶼山居民反對而胎死腹中,情況就如九巴重組路線計劃受到區議會反對。當局今次加碼補貼船公司維持離島渡輪服務,日後一旦九巴重組路線計劃受阻,是否也要納稅人埋單?

The Government may be trapped in an endless cycle of subsidy to ferry service

The year before last, the Hong Kong Government unprecedentedly started to subsidize 6 outlying islands ferry lines for a period of 3 years, in a bid to help ferry companies reduce their operating deficit which might result in fare hike. Now the Government plans to extend the subsidy for another 3 years starting next year. The public money to be injected this time will even be increased by 60%. 3 years followed by another 3 years: subsidizing outlying islands ferry service has become a trend. The ferry companies are so pampered that they may not want to make any improvement and would simply rely on the public coffer.

In fact, even though the Government is extending the subsidy, the 2 ferry companies that are operating these 6 lines have already stated that they will need to apply for fare increase in order to offset inflation. It is obvious that the ferry companies regard the subsidy as their entitlement instead of extra income intended to prevent them from raising fares. After repeatedly providing subsidy to the ferry companies, should the Government not ask them to properly use the public money on enhancing their cost-effectiveness, and not simply on covering their loss? Some legislators think that the subsidy should be used exclusively for optimizing the ferry companies’ human resources and services. This is reasonable as the passengers would then benefit directly.

Merging part of the outlying islands lines may help the ferry companies to operate more cost-effectively. The Government once suggested that the Central to Peng Chau line and Central to Mui Wo line be combined and the frequency reduced so as to cut cost. Unfortunately, the idea was nipped in the bud due to the objection of Lantau residents, just as the bus-routes restructuring proposal of Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) was opposed by District Councils. The Government sets an unfortunate precedence in increasing its subsidy to the ferry companies in order to maintain outlying islands ferry service. With the KMB's proposed restructuring plan encountering similar obstacles, will taxpayers have to foot the bill as well?

重要生字

cost-effectiveness:成本效益

nip in the bud:胎死腹中

foot the bill:埋單

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