Commuters are seen on board a Star Ferry which crosses
Commuters are seen on board a Star Ferry which crosses Victoria Harbour as another Star Ferry sails in the background in Hong Kong. David GANNON/Getty Images

Hong Kong's Transport Advisory Committee chair Wong Sze-chun said Thursday that the Star Ferry's application for a 30 percent fare increase will be weighed against what the public can afford — the clearest signal yet that the full hike will not clear the government unchanged.

"We have considered the public's level of acceptance regarding fare increases and their affordability," Wong told reporters after a committee meeting. "These are the primary factors we weighed during our meeting."

Under the application, weekday adult upper-deck fares on the 138-year-old ferry's two cross-harbour routes would rise from HK$5 to HK$6.50, with weekend and holiday fares climbing from HK$6.50 to HK$8.50, according to a Transport and Logistics Bureau paper submitted to the Legislative Council in July.

The operator, which runs between Tsim Sha Tsui and both Central and Wan Chai, has cited plans to replace its vessels' engines later this year at a cost the company estimates above HK$10 million per ship, along with rising maintenance, staffing and fuel costs and losses exceeding HK$100 million between 2018 and 2023, according to the government submission.

Wong's committee advises on the application; the Executive Council makes the final call, and has not yet ruled.

Some lawmakers want the burden shifted elsewhere. At a July Legislative Council transport panel meeting, members including Jonathan Leung Chun and Vincent Cheng Wing-shun pressed the operator to introduce tourist-tiered pricing rather than raise fares uniformly for local commuters, and to boost non-fare income through pier retail space.

Star Ferry last raised its fares in April 2023. No date has been set for the Executive Council's decision on the current application.