Provision of liquefied petroleum gas fuel subsidy to take effect from May 31 for two months
The Inter-departmental Task Force on Monitoring Fuel Supply today (May 27) announced that the Government will provide a fuel subsidy of HK$0.5 per litre of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for taxis, public light buses and school private light buses starting from 0.00am on May 31 (Sunday). The temporary measure will last for two months until 11.59pm on July 30 (Thursday).
A Government spokesman said that the temporary measure aims to alleviate the operating costs of local passenger transport commercial vehicles which primarily use LPG as fuel (namely taxis, public light buses and school private light buses (commonly known as nanny vans)), and reduce the pressure for fare increases. It is expected that about 16 900 LPG (including LPG-hybrid) taxis, about 3 440 LPG public light buses (including green minibuses and red minibuses), and about 170 LPG school private light buses would benefit from the fuel subsidy.
To provide the LPG subsidy in a simple and direct manner, oil companies will offer a discount of HK$0.5 per litre of LPG at all 66 LPG filling stations across the territory (including 12 dedicated LPG stations) for all LPG (including LPG-hybrid) taxis, public light buses and school private light buses. No registration or application is required. In order to ensure proper use of public funds, the Government has signed agreements with six oil companies (namely Sinopec, ExxonMobil, Shell, PetroChina, Chevron (Caltex), and Feoso), under which responsibilities and terms have been set out on the arrangements of implementing the LPG subsidy. These arrangements include the Government's reimbursement to designated oil companies for the actual amount of subsidies provided; the requirement for these oil companies to maintain complete and accurate books and records; the requirement to submit reports to the Government every week, as well as the auditing arrangements upon the completion of the subsidy period. The Transport Department (TD) has steered the oil companies in completing the necessary system enhancements and testing to ensure smooth implementation.
The TD will conduct publicity from today onwards, including displaying posters at LPG filling stations and TD licensing offices. Leaflets will be distributed at major taxi stands, public light bus stands and all dedicated LPG stations across the territory to inform frontline drivers of the subsidy details. Details of the LPG subsidy will also be published on the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk), the HKeMobility mobile app, and notifications issued by the TD to the relevant trades.
Photo source: reference image
CFS finds trace amount of Enterococci in samples of individual batches of bottled mineral water
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 28) that two samples of bottled mineral water were found to contain trace amount of Enterococci. The CFS is following up on the incident.
A spokesman for the CFS said, "Under its routine Food Surveillance Programme, the CFS collected bottled mineral water samples at retail level for microbiological testing, including tests for Escherichia coli, Coliform bacteria, Enterococci, Spore-forming sulphite-reducing anaerobes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The test results showed that two samples of the individual batches of bottled mineral water below contained Enterococci at a level of one Colony Forming Unit in 250 millilitres, while all other tested parameters (Escherichia coli, coliform bacteria, Spore-forming sulphite-reducing anaerobes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were satisfactory (i.e. not detected).
According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, Enterococci shall not be tested presence in bottled natural mineral water. As a precautionary measure, the CFS has informed the retailers/distributors concerned to stop sales and remove from shelves the affected batches of the products below. The distributors concerned have also initiated voluntary recalls of the affected batches of the products concerned. Members of the public may call the respective hotlines below during office hours for enquiries about the recalls.
Product details are as follows:
Product name: Still Scottish Mountain Water
Brand: Marks & Spencer
Volume: 750ml
Best-before date: December 2026
Distributor: ALF Retail Hong Kong Limited
Hotline: 3656 2253
Product name: LOTTE ICIS Natural Mineral Water 8.0
Brand: Lotte
Volume: 2 litres
Best-before date: September 22, 2027
Distributor: Goldtop Century Ltd
Hotline: 2632 7373
Since January 2026, the CFS has collected 50 samples of bottled drinking water for testing. Apart from the two unsatisfactory samples mentioned above, all other samples passed the tests.
"Enterococci are a group of bacteria commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals, generally posing a low risk to healthy individuals. However, certain strains may cause infections in immunocompromised individuals. Members of the public should stop consuming the affected batches of the natural mineral water. Anyone who feels unwell after consuming the products, such as experiencing symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or fever etc, should seek medical treatment," a spokesman for the CFS said.
The CFS had alert the trade, and will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.
Source: AI-found images
