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Rail, bus, ferry and other public transport services offer Hong Kong
commuters a good choice of different transport modes at reasonable fares
and different levels of comfort, speed and convenience.
Rail travel accounts for some 30 per cent of the total daily public transport
volume. The railways are built and operated by the two railway corporations,
the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) and the MTR Corporation
Limited (MTRCL). The KCRC is wholly owned by the Government. The MTRCL
was formerly wholly owned by the Government but was privatised in 2000
to become a listed company with the Government remaining as a major shareholder.
Both corporations operate on prudent commercial principles providing efficient,
reliable and safe passenger rail services to the public.
The KCR was commissioned in 1910. It is the first
and oldest railway system in Hong Kong. The railway was formerly operated
by the Government until the KCRC was established in 1982. The KCRC now
runs both the East Rail and the West Rail as well as a Light Rail System.
The East Rail runs from Hung Hom to Lo Wu at the boundary. There are 13
stations along the 34-kilometre route and the railway carried an average
of 763 000 passengers daily in 2003. In recent years, the KCRC has made
rapid progress in a number of capital projects on the East Rail, including
the train refurbishment project, commissioning of new trains, noise reduction
project and upgrading the signalling system. The newly commissioned West
Rail runs from West Kowloon to Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. There are nine
stations along the 30.5-kilometre route and the railway has been serving
approximately 100 000 passengers daily since its opening on December 20.
The KCRC also operates inter-city through train services from Hong Kong
to cities in Guangdong as well as to Shanghai and Beijing. Apart from
passenger services, the KCRC provides rail freight transportation and
intermodal services, covering some 60 cities in the Mainland. The corporation
has also made significant progress on projects designed to expand its
railway network, including the East Rail Extensions, the Kowloon Southern
Link and the Shatin to Central Link.
The KCRC operates the Light Rail (LR), which started
operation in the north-western New Territories in 1988. The LR carried
an average of 291 000 passengers daily in 2003. To enable
the Light Rail to be effectively integrated with the West Rail, three
stops were upgraded and a new one was built to provide convenient interchanges
with the West Rail. An extension of the Light Rail to the newly developed
Tin Shui Wai Reserve Zone went into operation on December 7. The Light
Rail was also grade-separated on Pui To Road in Tuen Mun to facilitate
traffic flow.
The former Mass Transit Railway Corporation was established
by statute in 1975 to operate the MTR. The first passenger train service
on the Kwun Tong Line of the MTR began in 1979. The MTR was subsequently
expanded to include the Tsuen Wan Line (1982), the Island Line (1985),
the Eastern Harbour Crossing rail tunnel connecting Kwun Tong Line to
Quarry Bay (1989), the Tung Chung Line (1998) and the Tseung Kwan O Line
(2002). The MTR carried a weekday average of about 2.2 million passengers
in 2003. The company also operates the Airport Express Line, a dedicated
rail link between the airport and the city centre. The Airport Express
Line carried a daily average of about 19 000 passengers in 2003.
In February 2000, the Legislative Council passed legislation
to privatise a portion of the Government's shares in the company. The
MTR Corporation Limited was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in
October that year.
Electric trams have been operating on Hong Kong Island since 1904. The
Hong Kong Tramways Limited operates six routes on 13 kilometres of double
track along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town
and Shau Kei Wan, and about three kilometres of single track around Happy
Valley.
The company's 164 trams, including two open-balcony
trams for tourists and private hire and one special maintenance tram,
make up the world's only fully double-decker tram fleet. The trams recorded
an average of 223 744 passenger trips daily in 2003. Fares were $2 for
adults and $1 for children aged under 12 and senior citizens aged 65 or
above.
Hong Kong's other tramway is a cable-hauled funicular railway operated
by the Peak Tramways Company Limited from Central (Garden Road) to the
Peak. The 1.4-kilometre tramway began operation in 1888 and was modernised
in 1989. It served an average of 8 471 passengers a day in 2003, mostly
tourists and local sightseers. One-way fares for adults, children aged
under 12 and senior citizens aged 65 or above were $20, $6 and $7, respectively.
The period of right granted to the Peak Tramways Company
Limited to run and operate the Peak Tramway was due to expire at the end
of 2003. Taking account of the company's provision of stable and satisfactory
service in terms of safety and service aspects and its plans to further
improve its operation and passenger facilities, the Chief Executive in
Council approved a 10-year extension of the company's operating right.
The other road-based passenger transport modes — comprising mainly
franchised buses, public light buses, taxis and residents' services —
account for 66 per cent of all public transport journeys. Franchised buses
are the largest road-based carriers and account for about 38 per cent
of the total daily public transport volume.
Local bus services in Kowloon and the New Territories are largely provided
by the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB). At year-end, the
company operated 393 bus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories; 23
and 29 cross-harbour routes jointly with Citybus Limited (CTB) and New
World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) respectively; and 11 cross-harbour
routes on its own.
The KMB fleet comprised 4 284 licensed vehicles at
year-end; 3 509 were air-conditioned and 1 444 wheelchair-accessible.
KMB recorded 1.06 billion passenger trips (a daily average of 2.91 million
passenger trips) and covered 344.3 million kilometres during the year.
Fares ranged from $1.20 to $38 for its regular routes. Children aged under
12 and elderly passengers were offered concessionary fares on all the
company's routes.
Local bus services on Hong Kong Island are provided
by NWFB and CTB. At year-end, NWFB operated 59 bus routes on Hong Kong
Island, 10 serving Kowloon and Tseung Kwan O and 33 cross-harbour routes,
29 of which were operated jointly with KMB. It had a licensed fleet of
730 buses: 729 were air-conditioned and 583 wheelchair-accessible.
NWFB recorded 180.5 million passenger trips (a daily
average of 494 624 passenger trips) and covered 59.4 million kilometres
during the year. Its fares ranged from $3 to $34.20 on regular routes.
Concessionary fares were offered on all routes to children aged under
12 and elderly passengers.
CTB operates two bus networks under two franchises.
One of the franchises comprises 66 bus routes on Hong Kong Island and
31 cross-harbour routes, 23 of which are operated jointly with KMB. Another
franchise comprises a network of 16 routes linking major districts in
Hong Kong Island and Kowloon with Tung Chung and the airport.
At year-end, CTB had a licensed fleet of 940 buses,
all of which were air-conditioned, and 124 wheelchair-accessible. The
company recorded 207.3 million passenger trips (a daily average of 568
044 passenger trips) and covered 82.8 million kilometres during the year.
Fares ranged from $2.50 to $45 for its regular routes. Concessionary fares
were offered to children aged under 12, and elderly passengers on Hong
Kong Island routes (except recreational routes) and on cross-harbour and
Tung Chung/airport routes.
The Long Win Bus Company Limited (LW) provides bus
services between the New Territories and Tung Chung/the airport. The company
recorded 19.3 million passenger trips (a daily average of 52 766 passenger
trips) and covered 22.7 million kilometres in 2003. At year-end, 145 buses
were serving a total of 15 routes: all were air-conditioned and 136 wheelchair-accessible.
Fares ranged from $3.50 to $28 for its regular routes. The company also
offers concessionary fares for children aged under 12 and elderly passengers
on all routes.
The New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited (NLB) mainly
provides bus services on Lantau Island. The company recorded 9.7 million
passenger trips (a daily average of 26 523 passenger trips) and covered
five million kilometres during the year. It runs 25 routes with a licensed
fleet of 80 vehicles. Fares ranged from $2.50 to $40 for its regular routes.
Children aged under 12 and elderly passengers are offered concessionary
fares on all routes.
Bus-Bus Interchange schemes are being introduced to
encourage more efficient use of bus resources and limited road space and
to allow more choice for passengers. Fare discounts are offered to passengers
when interchanging among designated bus routes. By year-end, a total of
120 Bus-Bus Interchange schemes had been implemented, involving a total
of 368 routes.
Non-franchised bus services perform a supplementary role in the public
transport system. They mainly serve tourists, groups of residents, employees
and students, and help to reduce peak hour demand for other public transport
services. At year-end, there were 7 296 licensed non-franchised buses
in operation.
Hong Kong's minibuses are licensed to carry a maximum of 16 passengers.
At year-end, there were 6 266 licensed minibuses. Of these, 4 343 were
public light buses (PLBs), and 1 923 were private light buses. Private
light buses are authorised to carry only group passengers and are not
allowed to collect separate fares.
There are two types of PLBs: 'green' and 'red' minibuses.
Green minibuses (GMBs) provide scheduled services with fixed routeing,
fares, vehicle allocation and timetables stipulated by the Transport Department.
There were 2 625 GMBs operating 349 routes which recorded a daily average
of 1 141 000 passengers trips in 2003. Red minibuses (RMBs) are not required
to operate on fixed routes or timetables and they may set their own fares,
but they are subject to certain restrictions on their operating areas.
There were 1 718 RMBs in operation and they recorded a daily average of
482 000 passengers trips during the year.
In 2003, the Transport Department and the Quality
Public Light Bus Service Steering Committee continued to launch a series
of schemes to improve the quality of PLB service. In the first half of
the year, the Transport Department launched a campaign to issue standard
PLB driver identity plates to about 14 000 PLB drivers free of charge.
The department also promulgated the 'Public Light Bus Service Standards'
in June, listing the principal standards for compliance by PLB drivers.
In addition, three Driving Improvement Schools were appointed in August
to provide a 'Public Light Bus Driver Training Course'. To arouse awareness
of the importance of vehicle maintenance and repair, a workshop on 'Vehicle
Servicing and Maintenance of Public Light Buses' was organised for the
PLB trade in November.
A PLB Newsletter was published every four months
to enhance communication with the trade. The department continued to promote
and facilitate the provision of on-board facilities for passengers including
electronic payment systems, passenger call bells, driver name plates and
display of passenger hotlines numbers.
The Government introduced incentive schemes in August
2002 to encourage the early replacement of diesel light buses by vehicles
operating on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or electricity. PLB owners
who replace their diesel vehicles with those using LPG or electricity
may apply for a one-off grant of $60,000 or $80,000, respectively. Owners
of diesel private light buses who opt to switch to LPG vehicles will be
exempted from the first registration tax (electricity-driven vehicles
are already exempted from the tax). The deadlines for applications are
the end of 2004 for diesel light buses that are 10 years old or over and
the end of 2005 for those that are less than 10 years old at the time
of de-registration. At year-end, 642 LPG public light buses and 57 LPG
private light buses were operating on the roads. One electricity-driven
private light bus was in operation.
At year-end, there were 15 250 urban taxis (coloured red), 2 838 New
Territories taxis (green) and 50 Lantau taxis (blue) in operation, and
they carried about one million passengers trips per day.
To improve the operating environment for taxis, the
Transport Department introduced a temporary arrangement in May to allow
all taxis to pick up and set down passengers in all 'peak hours' and '7
am to 7 pm' restricted zones on roads with a speed limit below 70 kilometres
per hour. At year-end, a total of 148 taxi pick-up/drop-off points and
51 taxi drop-off points had been designated. In addition, from February
a taxi stand was designated at Happy Valley Racecourse on race days to
facilitate picking up and setting down of passengers. In addition, a trial
scheme was launched in March to allow urban and New Territories taxis
to operate at Lok Ma Chau Control Point from midnight to 6.30 am daily.
The cash grant scheme introduced in August 2000 as
an incentive for operators to convert taxis to LPG was completed on December
31. A total of 18 112 taxis had been converted, representing 99.9 per
cent of the entire fleet.
During the year, the Transport Department and the
Quality Taxi Services Steering Committee (QTSSC) continued to launch schemes
to improve the quality of taxi service. The prize presentation ceremony
of the Taxi Driver Commendation Scheme 2003 was held in December. A total
of 12 Quality Taxi Drivers and some 1 200 Meritorious Taxi
Drivers were commended on their good conduct and provision of quality
taxi service. To further enhance the provision of useful information to
taxi drivers and passengers, two new taxi passenger and fare information
LED (light emitting diode) display panels, in addition to the existing
five LED panels at various taxi stands, were erected at the taxi stands
outside the KCR Hung Hom Station. Three taxi passenger and fare information
plates were also installed at taxi stands in Pak Tam Chung and Sai Kung
Town Centre. In addition, the department has published 11 issues of Taxi
Newsletters and distributed 40 000 copies per issue to
taxi drivers free of charge. Also, leaflets were distributed to tourists/taxi
passengers to provide useful information on taxi services. A total of
150 000 and 20 000 leaflets were distributed
at the airport and the Lok Ma Chau Control Point, respectively.
Ferries provide essential transport links to outlying islands where no
land transport alternatives are available, and an alternative service
within the inner harbour and to other areas in Hong Kong.
At year-end, one ferry operator provided two cross-harbour
franchised passenger ferry services and 11 ferry operators provided 28
licensed passenger ferry services to the outlying islands and across the
harbour. These franchised/licensed services were supplemented by about
78 kaito services which provide services to relatively remote parts of
Hong Kong.
In 2003, ferries recorded a daily average of about
89 000 passenger trips across the harbour and about 58
000 passenger trips to/from the outlying islands. |
