UPDATE: Turns out the man who caused a stir online by taking a large bin on the MTR had a dirty secret.
The bin was stolen, allegedly.
The SCMP reported today that police had arrested a 69-year-old man on suspicion of stealing a wheeled rubbish bin from Lung Fung House at Lower Wong Tai Sin Estate in Wong Tai Sin last Thursday.
According to the newspaper, the man allegedly replaced the stolen wheeled plastic bin. But here’s the bin, the replacement, did not have wheels.
The perfect crime, almost.
The theft was noticed by a cleaner, who reported it to police, who identified the suspect who lives in the estate from which the bin was stolen.
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Normally, the ire directed at oversized baggage carriers on the MTR (you know who you are) is restricted to the cramped commuters in their immediate vicinity.
One man, though, has sparked a bit of trash talk online, after being spotted travelling with a large plastic bin on the subway.
A photo of the man went viral after it was posted on online forum and messageboard HKGolden yesterday.
It is not clear why the man — who was wearing a trench coat and no cleaner’s uniform — had the trash bin with him.
The MTR Corporation confirmed to hk01 that the man boarded the train at Wong Tai Sin station at around 12:05pm yesterday on a train that was headed towards Whampoa.
Staff at Kowloon Tong station — two stops away from Wong Tai Sin — approached the man, told him his bin was an oversized item and advised him to leave.
The spokesperson told hk01 that the man was cooperative and left the station.
According to the MTR Conditions of Carriage of Luggage, passengers travelling on trains and buses on the MTR network may carry one piece of luggage with total dimensions (length, width and height) not exceeding 170 centimeters and the length of any one side not exceeding 130 centimeters.
The height of a typical trash can in Hong Kong is between 120 to 130 centimeters.
Exemptions to this rule apply to those who carry permits for larger items such as musical instruments or sports equipment.
The photo prompted debate among netizens as to how the man managed to get through the station with such a large trash can when in the past students with large musical instruments have been turned away.
In October 2015, musicians gathered at Tai Wai MTR to protest what the called the “double standards” of the MTR’s luggage rules after photos of students with musical instruments being turned away by MTR staff went viral that year.
Netizens complained it was unfair that students with instruments should be turned away while parallel traders are allowed to carry large suitcases on trains.
