Scenes from Vincent House, the home of new imported labour hostels for mainland minibus drivers. Inset: Alan Lam, chairman of the government’s transport innovation hub LSCM, and CEO of the lead hostel investor
The CEO of the fund behind a slate of six half-century-old Jordan firetrap apartments repurposed as dormitories for 66 imported mainland minibus drivers is also a top figure in two government-funded transport research bodies, a Transit Jam investigation has revealed.
Professor Alan Lam, CEO of hostel investor Gravity Capital Partners, is also Chairman of CyberPort-based Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM) and a member of the board of Science Park-based Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI).
Both LSCM and ASTRI were founded by the government to promote economic efficiency through transport innovation and are heavily subsidised by the Innovation Commission, with around $120 million in government “transport innovation” subsidies a year.
Lam’s Gravity Capital Partners is the lead investor in Contented Living, a hostel manager which offers tiny co-living spaces in old buildings across the city, according to records.
According to its website, Gravity Capital Partners’ vision is to “promote caring and harmonized communities by investing in socially and environmentally sustainable businesses and Tech for Good.”
A stairwell in New Lucky House following the tragic fire which killed five this month. Fire regulations had long been ignored by building owners – and many similar problems are seen in nearby buildings such as Vincent House
Vincent House, where Contented Living will house 66 mainland drivers in six small apartments ranging from 369 to 639 sq ft, is just a few hundred metres from New Lucky House, the scene of a tragic fire earlier this month.
The buildings are similar in nature, with a mix of guesthouses, brothels and subdivided apartments, and are both around 50 years old.
In response to media enquiries and concerns on fire safety at the hostel, Contented Living supplied glossy photos showing a neat and tidy fire equipment and a clean stairwell on the 13th floor. Manager Venny Tsang Wai-lee said the building ownership was more concentrated than New Lucky House, meaning fire safety issues could be better managed and that fire should not be a concern.
But this is not true. Vincent House, like New Lucky House, has outstanding mandatory Buildings Department notices for building, fire and window safety.
The building is also on the Buildings Deparment watchlist covering the most dangerous buildings in the city.
And a visit to Vincent House today showed the reality on the ground is more typical of every other ageing Jordan building.
For the minibus driver hostel, Contented Living is managing apartments across the 11th to 14th floors: two apartments on 12 and 13 and one each on 11 and 14: and while the areas around the 13th floor “press shoot” apartments were indeed neat and tidy, the other staircases it manages were full of garbage and accumulated possessions, including smouldering “offering” burners blocking the stairwells. On the 12th floor, a huge amount of cardboard from fridges and washing machines from the Contented Living renovation blocked the fire escape and the fire doors were wedged open – a critical flaw in the New Lucky House fire tragedy.
The rest of the building is no better, with fire equipment damaged, missing or covered by illegal hoardings. Graffiti, broken bottles and cigarette butts, as well as broken fire doors and unreachable fire equipment, complete the picture.
While the newly renovated apartments are said to be for the mainland drivers, a number of young women were living in one of the 13th floor apartments. One said she moved in recently and did not know anything about the mainland driver hostel planned.
Workers will apparently pay $350 a month for their space in the unit, with the remaining $3,150 paid by their minibus firm employers.
Each unit has bunk beds and three shared bathrooms, with just one table and three chairs for 11 occupants, meaning workers will need to eat in shifts if eating at home.
LSCM and Gravity Capital Partners have not responded to questions.
Around 300 mainland minibus drivers have already entered the city to start work under the new labour importation scheme and the next round of applications will close tomorrow.
Meanwhile CityBus has been criticized by labour unions for adopting a similar model.
20 new drivers will start on CityBus’ non-franchised services at the end of next month, with the new mainland drivers offered discount hostel places and a $19,000 monthly salary.
Unionists said the mainland workers were being paid well below market rates, having a depressing effect on local worker morale and opportunities. Trade unions also questioned why mainlanders were offered preferential dormitories near the CityBus depot at such low rents.
Categories: Transit
