Extend LPG subsidy or watch costs go up, Hong Kong taxi, light bus drivers urge

Two-month liquefied petroleum gas subsidy scheme to expire on Friday, with operators warning monthly costs to rise by up to 33 per cent

Hong Kong taxi and light bus drivers have called for a two-month liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy scheme to be extended amid uncertainty over wars in the Middle East, and warned monthly operating costs could rise by up to 33 per cent when the policy ends.

The policy, which expires on Friday, was expected to benefit about 16,900 taxis, around 3,440 public light buses, including green- and red-topped minibuses, and about 170 privately run school light buses.

Wong Po-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi Owners’ Association, said operating costs for cabbies would increase by 10 per cent once the scheme ended, while their income would fall by 15 per cent.

“The conflicts are still going on in the Middle East, and no one knows when oil prices will come down,” he said. “Our operating costs have gone up because of this. If the government doesn’t have a subsidy in place, the burden on drivers will be very serious.”

Wong added that he had already called for the scheme’s extension earlier this month, but had yet to receive a reply.