COMMUNICATIONS
189
conveniently combined with it. Before the outbreak of the dis- turbances in May, there was a total of 5,271 parking meters in the urban areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon. Plans to install another 2,000 meters during the financial year 1967-8 were post- poned because more than 2,500 meters were stolen, damaged, and had to be written off during the disturbances. Work on repairing or replacing these meters was under way by the end of the year and work on new installations will continue when this is completed.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Public transport in Hong Kong, with the exception of the railway, is operated by private enterprise. The government retains powers designed to ensure efficient operation. There are five major public transport companies which operate under ordinances which grant monopoly rights, but require 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. 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, 1,055 million people travelled on all public transport services. This was a decrease of 14.8 per cent on the 1966 figure. Passengers on urban transport services, including bus serv- ices on both sides of the harbour, trams on Hong Kong Island, cross-harbour ferries and local passengers on the railway, totalled 986 million, which was a decrease of 14 per cent. In the New Territories 69 million passengers were carried on buses, trains and ferries, a decrease of 24.1 per cent. (See Appendix XXXVIII).
From the outbreak of the disturbances in mid-May, the Transport Office-which is a branch of the Colonial Secretariat-maintained close liaison with the public transport companies to ensure the con- tinuance of services; to co-ordinate security arrangements between the companies and the police; and, after stoppages of work by employees, to help formulate and implement policy on re-employ- ment and recruitment. Throughout the troubles, there was never a complete suspension of public transport, although services had to