Ordinary Gweilo

It’s a common sight to see couriers waiting by the exit gates at MTR stations with a parcel or some documents. They hand the items over to someone standing the other side of the gates, and go back on to the MTR. Maybe they then pick something else and take that to another station, and if they eventually exit from the MTR back where they started, they pay only HK$3.80 (as long as they don’t stay on the system for more than 90 minutes).

From Monday there will be a charge of HK$10 for anyone who enters and exits at the same station after spending more than 20 minutes in the MTR system. However, as far as I can see, there is nothing to stop anyone travelling around the system and then exiting at a nearby station (for example entering at Central, travelling to TST, Admiralty, Mong Kok & Sheung Wan and then exiting at Wan Chai). The fare for that journey would still only be HK$3.80, so the loophole hasn’t really been closed.

Predictably, politicians are whining about this, but I can’t imagine how anyone could contrive to spend more than 20 minutes inside an MTR station by mistake*. However, the MTRC have exempted old people from this surcharge, presumably on the grounds that they walk slowly and easily get confused, or possibly because they would attack the station staff with their zimmer frames if they had to pay. Anyway, if the average age of couriers on the MTR suddenly shoots up, you’ll know why.

* I managed to spend 22 minutes in a station 13 years later, so yes it can happen