Transport Department Urges Public to Use Public Transport During Busy Easter and Ching Ming Festival Travel Weekend

TD urges public and visitors to plan cross-boundary trips early during long weekend of Easter and Ching Ming Festival holidays

The Transport Department (TD) announced today (April 1) that, in anticipation of a large number of members of the public, visitors and cross-boundary vehicles visiting land-based boundary control points (BCPs) during the long weekend of Easter and Ching Ming Festival holidays, cross-boundary travellers are urged to use public transport services travelling between Hong Kong and the Mainland or Macao, plan their trips early and allow sufficient travelling time.

Enhancing services for travel convenience

The TD has been steering local and cross-boundary public transport operators (PTOs) to strengthen their services during the long weekend of Easter and Ching Ming Festival holidays to accommodate the diverse travelling needs of passengers, including:

• The MTR Corporation Limited will enhance the train services of the East Rail Line (ERL) between Admiralty and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau Stations at different times during the above period based on passenger demand for the convenience of residents and visitors;

• Increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus (Gold Bus) to an average of about one minute during peak hours, if needed;

• Increasing the frequency of the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus) to an average of about two minutes during peak hours, if needed;

• Increasing the quota of cross-boundary coaches to strengthen services; and

• The frequency of local franchised bus B routes connecting various land-based BCPs will also be increased to a level higher than that of normal weekends, and the operators concerned will reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to meet passenger demand.

Travel during non-peak hours

It is anticipated that the waiting time for public transport services, including the Gold Bus and the franchised bus B routes, may be longer. Passengers are advised to travel during non-peak hours, maintain order while queuing and heed advice from on-site Police and staff of PTOs concerned. Passengers planning to take cross-boundary coaches are also advised to reserve their coach tickets in advance.

Of note, HZMB users to Zhuhai should note that the temporary link bridge connecting HZMB Zhuhai Port and Qinglu South Road has been closed to all traffic. They should use public transport services as far as possible, plan their trips early and allow sufficient travelling time. The traffic of Zhuhai Port and neighbouring roads may also be affected, and passengers should remain patient while waiting.

As for motorists of cross-boundary private cars crossing the border, they are advised that special traffic arrangements may be implemented at the Lok Ma Chau and the Shenzhen Bay Port, subject to actual traffic conditions, during the long weekend of Easter and Ching Ming Festival holidays to secure smooth access for public transport vehicles to the above BCPs. Cross-boundary private cars may experience longer waiting times for crossing the BCPs during peak periods. Motorists should pay extra attention to variable message signs and traffic signs along the roads. In case of traffic congestion, they should remain patient and follow the instructions of on-site Police.

Information dissemination

For the HZMB, to plan their journeys ahead, members of the public can make use of the TD's HKeMobility mobile app or website (hkemobility.gov.hk/en/traffic-information/live/cctv) to access snapshots of traffic conditions at inbound and outbound vehicle plazas of the HZMB Hong Kong Port. They can also check real-time situations of the vehicle clearance plaza of the Zhuhai Port through the WeChat official accounts "hzmbzhport" or "zhuhaifabu" (traffic-info.gzazhka.com:5015/#/) (Chinese only). Moreover, motorists are reminded to always comply with the traffic control measures implemented by the Zhuhai authority when driving on the HZMB Main Bridge. Vehicles must not occupy the emergency lane unless instructed by the Zhuhai authority.

The public and visitors may visit the one-stop information platform on immigration clearance "Easy Boundary" (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/bwt/status.html?type=outbound) of the Security Bureau or the HKeMobility for the latest information on various land-based BCPs more conveniently. The TD will provide information on the services and waiting times of the Gold Bus, the Yellow Bus and the MTR. Members of the public are advised to check the latest traffic news through radio and television broadcasts, the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk) and the HKeMobility.

The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre operates round the clock to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services of various districts, the BCPs and major stations, and to implement contingency measures when necessary to meet service demands.

The Transport Department (TD), Photo by Bastille Post

Adjustment of income and asset limits of Working Family Allowance Scheme and arrangements for disbursement of one-off extra allowance announced

The Government announced today (April 1) the adjustment of income and asset limits of the Working Family Allowance (WFA) Scheme for 2026-27.

The WFA Scheme supports lower-income working households not receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), promoting full-time employment and self-reliance, as well as rewarding hard work. It also provides child allowances to households with eligible children. The allowance under the WFA Scheme is assessed on a monthly basis with reference to household income and working hours. Under the WFA Scheme, the claim period covers the six calendar months preceding the submission of an application, and eligible households must make applications for each claim period.

The Government adjusts the income and asset limits of the WFA Scheme in April each year. Under the established adjustment mechanism, the Government adjusts the income limits of the WFA Scheme with reference to the median monthly domestic household income of economically active households of the previous calendar year. According to this mechanism, and based on the relevant statistics for 2025 released by the Census and Statistics Department, the 2026-27 income limits under the WFA Scheme for households with six or more persons would be tightened, while those for five-person households would be lower than those for four-person households. A number of existing WFA households would thus become ineligible for, or receive less, WFA. To minimise the adverse impact on WFA households, the Government will:

(a) maintain the income limits of the WFA Scheme for households with six persons or more at the 2025-26 level;

(b)adjust the income limits of the WFA Scheme for five-person households to align with those for four-person households; and

(c)increase the income limits of the WFA Scheme for other household sizes according to the established mechanism.

As regards the asset limits of the WFA Scheme, they are set with reference to the asset limits for public rental housing. The Government will increase the asset limits for all household sizes according to the mechanism. The adjusted income and asset limits of the WFA Scheme are provided at Annex. These arrangements will apply for one year starting from the claim month of April 2026.

In addition, if the Appropriation Bill 2026 (the Bill) is passed by the Legislative Council (LegCo), the Government will, as proposed in the 2026-27 Budget, disburse a one-off extra allowance to WFA households. The extra allowance is expected to be disbursed one month after the LegCo's passage of the Bill at the earliest.

Households in receipt of WFA whose applications are made within the applicable period (i.e. from the first day of the month in which the Bill is passed by the LegCo to the date of its passage; and the six calendar months before that month) and eventually approved will be eligible for the one-off extra allowance. The extra allowance is equal to the average monthly allowance in approved months in a recipient's most recent WFA application submitted within the applicable period and eventually approved. The amount varies from case to case.

In order to be eligible for the one-off extra allowance, new applicants or previous WFA recipients who have yet to submit applications during the applicable period should submit their applications before the applicable period expires (i.e. on or before the date of passage of the Bill by the LegCo). For applications submitted by post, the date of the post-stamp will be adopted as the application date.

If a WFA household is receiving CSSA on the date of passage of the Bill, the household will only be eligible for one single extra allowance under either the WFA Scheme or the CSSA Scheme, whichever is the greater.

For enquiries, please visit the website of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency (wfsfaa.gov.hk) or call the 24-hour hotline of the Working Family Allowance Office at 2558 3000.

Source: AI-found images