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COMMUNICATIONS
granting monopoly rights but requiring the provision of adequate services.
On Hong Kong Island two public transport companies have exclusive franchises to operate bus and tram services. In Kowloon and the New Territories another company has the exclusive bus franchise. Taxis are licensed for both urban areas and the New Territories. This year the government decided to open the way for new companies to enter the taxi business. Additional licences, which hitherto had been allocated on a quota system to existing companies, were put out to public tender. Hire cars and sightseeing coaches are also licensed and there is no restriction on the licensing of goods vehicles. Two large ferry companies have monopolies to operate services on specified routes across the harbour. Other minor cross- harbour services operate under licence.
During the year 1,163 million people travelled on all public transport services. This was an increase of 7 per cent over 1964. Passengers on urban transport services, including bus services on both sides of the harbour, trams on Hong Kong Island, cross- harbour ferries and local passengers on the railway, totalled 1,073 million, an increase of 6 per cent. In the New Territories 90 million passengers were carried on buses, trains and ferries, an increase of 9 per cent. (See Appendix XXXVIII.)
The Advisory Committee on Public Transport, formed in 1961, built up considerable experience and research material. It was thus able to make informed assessments of transport problems and to offer constructive advice to the government and the transport com- panies with regard to planning services to meet present and future needs. The committee was closely concerned with the work of the passenger transport survey and the mass transport feasibility study described above.
On 1st December the Advisory Committee on Public Transport was dissolved and replaced by a new committee, the Transport Advisory Committee, which also absorbed the functions of the Traffic Advisory Committee. The chairman of the Advisory Com- mittee on Public Transport was appointed chairman of the new Transport Advisory Committee, which comprises 15 members. The official members are the heads of government departments most closely involved in the formation and execution of transport policies,