Shaukiwan.
The bus fleet on the Island has been increased from 108 to 128 but the number of vehicles in service has been limited by the difficulties encountered by the Company in finding men with suitable qualifications for training as bus drivers.
On the Mainland 39 new buses, including 20 double- decker buses, were added to the fleet, bringing the total to 191 as against 152 last year. The use of double-decker buses for the first time in the Colony proved so successful that a further order for 50 such buses has been placed. These are scheduled for delivery in early 1950. In view of the swollen population the Company has not yet succeeded in withdrawing from the roads all the converted lorries which have been used since the war as makeshift buses. Two new routes, from the Star Ferry to the Monument on Jordan Road and from Jordan Road Ferry to Ngau Chi Wan, were instituted. Season tickets and school children's tickets were introduced during the year.
Buses on the Island travelled 42 million miles and carried some 36 million passengers. On the mainland buses carried over 90 million passengers a distance of 114 million miles.
Ferries
The "Star" Ferry Co., Ltd., operates a passenger ferry service across the narrowest part of the harbour, a distance of approximately one mile, from a point in the centre of Victoria to Tsim Sha Tsui at the southern extremity of Kowloon Peninsula. Six launches are now in service, and operate daily for 191⁄2 hours. A five-minute service is main- tained from 8.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. with an additional speed- ing up at rush periods, a ten-minute service from 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m., and 9.00 p.m. to midnight, and a fifteen minute service after midnight to 1.30 a.m. on weekdays and 2.30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Approximately 35 million passen- gers were carried in 120,000 crossings during the year, as compared with 28 million passengers transported in 108,800 crossings in 1948. In December 118,000 persons were transported daily, comparied with 90,000 in December 1948. Fares remained unchanged throughout the year.
In the past year the Hong Kong & Yaumati Ferry Company Ltd. was able to resume the issue of season tickets, to effect an all round improvement in the Ferry Service and to inaugurate a new Service between Wanchai and Kowloon all of which has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of passengers carried. Over 42 million passengers and 680 thousand vehicles were carried during the year.
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