Since the commencement of the low-floor minibus trial program in 2017, only three low-floor minibuses are currently operating on specific routes: 54M to Queen Mary Hospital, 808 to Prince of Wales Hospital, and 413 to Princess Margaret Hospital. Cable TV produced a news feature on this topic and invited General Secretary William Chan Hei Lung for an interview.

During the interview, the General Secretary highlighted that it is not feasible to place all responsibility on minibus operators. He mentioned the need for potential legislative changes to facilitate the introduction of more vehicle types to Hong Kong and to consider subsidies for vehicle purchases, such as retrofitting existing vehicles to meet accessibility standards. Introducing low-floor minibuses poses high costs for minibus companies, and there may be limited motivation to implement these changes. Therefore, the government should provide more incentives and support, including relaxing vehicle restrictions, to promote wider adoption of accessible transport.

Additionally, the General Secretary emphasised the significant role of accessible public transportation and network infrastructure in facilitating travel for persons with disabilities, enabling their participation in society. Accessible public transportation not only benefits individuals with mobility challenges but also pregnant women, seniors, and families with young children.

Currently, the routes served by low-floor minibuses are specialised routes to hospitals. As individuals with disabilities frequently visit hospitals for appointments, and with the public healthcare system being busy, the time required from registration to medication collection is unpredictable. Therefore, reservation-based vehicles like rehabilitation buses and current low-floor minibuses may not be suitable for their needs.

When asked about the potential use of accessible taxis as an alternative, the General Secretary pointed out that while accessible taxis operate similarly to regular taxis with metered fares, they often come with high reservation fees. This can pose a significant burden for individuals with disabilities, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds. Therefore, there is a high demand for low-floor minibuses due to reasons such as providing point-to-point services to hospitals not directly accessible by bus routes and offering affordable, flexible, and reservation-free public transportation options that meet diverse needs.

We will continue to closely monitor the progress of popularizing low-floor minibuses in the future.