DSE: No ferry operator planning to reduce fares

No ferry operator in the city has plans to decrease the price of ferry tickets despite international fuel prices having posted significant drops, the director of the Macao Economic Services (DSE), Tai Kin Ip, revealed in a reply to a written enquiry by legislator Chan Meng Kam.
‘According to related regulations, adjustments of ferry ticket fares need to be increased and applied by ferry operators. Meanwhile, the SAR Government has not received any such related application recently,’ the DSE head wrote.
In the interpellation, the directly-elected legislator queried why local ferry operators did not lower their ferry prices when local flag carrier Air Macau announced lower fuel surcharges starting from March this year, questioning whether the government has supervised the pricing of ferry tickets.
“Ferry operators have increased the ticket fares by double-digit percentages accumulatively since 2011. They claimed each time that the rise was due to the increase in fuel prices. With international fuel prices having registered significant falls, ferry fares, however, are not decreasing to an appropriate level,’ Mr. Chan said.
In response, the DSE director claimed that the Marine and Water Bureau has been controlling the growth rate of ferry ticket fares in recent years in consideration of the affordability of residents and the business of operators. The official added that such control has effectively decreased the impact of ferry fare increases on residents and tourists.
The legislator also questioned the government’s progress in amending the city’s consumer protection law in order to combat joint pricing among fuel suppliers.
The DSE director said in his reply that the government is to withdraw the regulations on joint pricing and the abuse of market advantages from the amendment bill as the two issues focus more on equal competition between operators.
According to Mr. Tai, the government will conduct an initial study for drafting a future working direction on the two issues.