Hong Kong halves tunnel tolls for commercial vehicles amid surging fuel prices

Hong Kong will halve tolls for all commercial vehicles using public tunnels for two months from Sunday, in the government’s latest effort to ease business costs amid surging fuel prices driven by the War in the Middle East.Buses, goods vehicles, light buses and taxis registered with the Transport Department will benefit from the measure, while private cars and motorcycles are excluded, according to a government announcement on Wednesday.The temporary 50 per cent discount will apply at all government tolled tunnels and the Tsing Sha Control Area from Sunday until 11.59pm on July 16.“The targeted temporary measure aims to alleviate the operating costs of various types of commercial vehicles, and assist drivers and operators in coping with the pressure arising from rising fuel prices,” the interdepartmental Task Force on Monitoring Fuel Supply said.The government said commercial vehicle owners would not need to apply and would simply pay the reduced amount shown in the system.Two-month toll cut aims to ease pressure from rising fuel prices, covering all government tunnels and Tsing Sha Control Area. Photo: Dickson LeeHowever, it said taxi passengers must continue to pay the statutory tolls in full during the waiver period, adding that placards would be displayed in taxi compartments as a reminder.