HONG KONG – Passengers using Hong Kong’s “Ding Ding” trams will need to pay an extra 10 to 30 HK cents more per trip from May 12, following the Executive Council’s decision to approve a fare hike on Tuesday.

Under the revised fare structure, tickets for passengers aged 12 years old or above will cost HK$3.30 (42 US cents), up from the current HK$3, while fares for children aged between 3 and 11 years old will increase from HK$1.5 to HK$1.6. Passengers aged 65 or above will need to pay HK$1.5 per trip, instead of the current HK$1.3 fare.

The price of a monthly ticket — currently HK$260 — will remain unchanged.

The fare hike aims to ensure that Hong Kong Tramways remains financially sustainable while maintaining its affordability and efficiency in the face of financial pressures arising from competition from other transport options and a slower-than-expected recovery in the numbers of passengers using the service following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said in a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon.

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A government spokesperson explained that the decision to allow the fare increases followed a thorough review of factors such as service quality, operational costs and public impact, while the decision to keep the monthly ticket price unchanged will help to minimize the costs for regular commuters.

“We believe this fare adjustment is necessary to maintain reliable services. After the fare increase, the tramway remains the most economical means of transportation serving the northern shore of Hong Kong Island," the spokesperson added.

To improve the service, Hong Kong Tramways is planning to upgrade the tracks for the trams, modernize its tramcar fleet, and launch a new mobile app in the second quarter this year to provide real-time arrival updates for passengers.

The government acknowledged the tram’s role as a historic and eco-friendly transport option, as well as its popularity among both residents and tourists, and said it would support the tramway in exploring new revenue opportunities, particularly those in line with Hong Kong’s tourism development strategy.

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Hong Kong Tramways, which began operating in 1904, owns the world’s largest double-deck tramcar fleet. Compared with the annual average of 60 million passengers recorded before 2018, the number of annual passengers has dropped to around 40 million since 2020, which has raised questions over the tramway’s business sustainability.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com