Tour bus owners said Hong Kong's economy and tourism have been hit hard due to a double whammy of the 2019 anti-fugitive bill movement and Covid-19 pandemic, and the sector has entered a "glacial age."

They questioned why the government did not provide vehicle owners with subsidies in previous rounds of relief measures through the anti-epidemic fund.

One tour bus operator, Chiu, who owns seven coaches, questioned the government's justification for providing subsidies to owners of cross-border tour buses but not them.

"It is not feasible to transform our business, and if we cut our prices to steal businesses, it will only make other sectors face the same problem," Chiu said, adding: "My business now has zero income, but the expenses have already reached HK$150,000 for two years, and I have to sell one of my vehicles at dirt-cheap price in order to withstand the coming two to three months."

Another owner, Kam, who has some 20 school buses, said the anti-epidemic fund did not provide car owners with assistance, and the suspension of in-person classes also prompted parents to only pay part of the monthly fare.

"I am experiencing a HK$300,000 loss and the only thing I can do is borrow money everywhere to keep my company up and running. If there is no subsidy coming my way, my company will close down in one to two months," Kam said.

Owners are urging the government to roll out relief measures targeted toward them in the sixth round of the anti-epidemic fund, including providing a HK$90,000 subsidy for every tour coach they own and HK$60,000 for every school bus.

Tourism sector lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung said the government must do more than just keep the sector barely afloat and implement continuous and long-term planning to keep the tourism industry alive.