Future Hong Kong toll changes must be double checked by authorities, transport chief says, after staff negligence caused overcharging
- Thousands of motorists overcharged on first working day of new toll system at Western Harbour Tunnel due to staff error at HKeToll contractor, investigation finds
- Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung says future changes under toll plans must be double checked by authorities as further safeguard
The implementation of future toll changes will need to be double checked by authorities, Hong Kong’s transport chief has said, after staff negligence caused thousands of motorists to be overcharged on the first working day of a new system at the Western Harbour Tunnel.
Announcing the findings of an investigation into Monday’s incident, the Transport Department on Friday night said that police, who were also asked by the government to look into the case, concluded that no “criminal element” was involved.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung on Saturday said an investigation revealed negligence on behalf of a staff member at the service provider, HKeToll, was behind the problem.
“Our investigation found that one of the staff from the service provider did not remove the old command,” Lam said on a radio show. “Before 10.02am [on Monday], another group of staff also wrongly proceeded with the old command.
“Instead of using the new toll plan, the ‘6-3-3’ toll plan was used in the Western Harbour Tunnel. This is a huge error which we are very concerned about. After investigating, we found that it was not caused by a structural problem of the system.”
The “6-3-3” scheme was implemented on August 2 as the first phase of adjusting the toll. The charge for private cars travelling through the Western Harbour Tunnel decreased from HK$75 (US$9.60) to a flat rate of HK$60, while fees for those using the Eastern Harbour Tunnel and Cross-Harbour Tunnel rose to HK$30 from HK$25 and HK$20, respectively.
Under the new toll arrangement in effect since December 17, private cars are charged up to HK$40 (US$5) at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and the Eastern Harbour Tunnel during peak hours from 7.30am to 10.15am and from 4.30pm to 7pm between Mondays and Saturdays. At the Western Harbour Tunnel, incremental charges can reach up to HK$60.
Thousands overcharged on first working day of stage 2 of Hong Kong toll changes
The fees progressively increase by HK$2 every two minutes in peak-hour slots up to the maximum amount. The opposite arrangement occurs for off-peak periods.
All three tunnels charge HK$30 for private cars for the period between 10.15am and 4.30pm and HK$20 for the off-peak hours between 7pm leading into 7.30am the next day.
More than 4,700 motorists driving through the Western Harbour Tunnel between 10.02am and 11.04am were charged extra on Monday, the first working day of phase two of the time-adjusted tolls, which are designed to ease cross-harbour traffic.
Lam said authorities had immediately ramped up control measures for implementing changes, requiring that the approval of the Transport Department be obtained before important procedures related to toll plans could be carried out.
“The time-varying toll plan and the toll plans for the crossings involve complicated procedures,” he said. “We must not let our guard down.
“We will continue to require the service provider to work with staff from the Transport Department to ensure the smooth operation of the toll system.”
Hong Kong e-toll system to be rolled out at Tate’s Cairn Tunnel on Sunday
Lam explained that not every procedure required double authentication from the department, adding that the toll plan rarely required adjustments.
“The toll plan is being executed by the computer system automatically according to the time of day, which does not require our regular reminder,” he said.
“Adjusting the toll plan is a crucial action that must obtain the department’s approval.”
He said that even though the government had outsourced the operation of the toll system, authorities were still accountable for its monitoring, adding that they would regularly review the contractor’s performance to prevent similar problems in future.
Traffic jams at 2 Hong Kong tunnels will shrink after toll changes: authorities
No 2 official Eric Chan Kwok-ki earlier in the week said the government had asked police to follow up on the incident, adding: “We suspect someone tampered with the computer without reason, I believe this is not a technical error.”
On Friday, a Transport Department spokesman said it had expressed its “strong dissatisfaction” to the service provider, which had stepped up monitoring of the system.
He said it had also taken disciplinary action, including issuing written warnings to those involved and “terminating the duties of the supervisory staff”.
The department said it would also arrange for an independent audit to review the system’s operating procedures and enhance the authorisation process to avoid a repeat of the incident, pledging that the same mistake would not happen again.
A spokesman for HKeToll apologised to the affected drivers and said a refund had been arranged immediately.
