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COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
of 1973, there were 92 routes-46 in Kowloon, 46 in the New Territories and five cross-harbour routes run jointly with the China Motor Bus Company.
The major part of the company's expansion during 1973 took place in the New Territories, where 15 new routes were introduced, utilising 49 buses. Many remote areas, not previously provided with bus services, are now being served.
Progress continued with the introduction of one-man operated buses-60 per cent of all single-deck buses and 27 per cent of all double-deck buses had been con- verted by the end of the year.
Bus services on Hong Kong Island are operated by the China Motor Bus Com- pany, which has 405 double-deck and 160 single-deck buses. The total passenger carrying capacity of the fleet at the end of 1973 was 46,102, an increase of 22.3 per cent over 1972. On order or under construction at the end of 1973 were 134 double- deck buses, to be added to the fleet in 1974-5. During the year, 149.2 million passengers were carried and 15.5 million miles were covered by the company's buses. At the end of 1973, there were 39 routes-34 on the island and five cross-harbour routes run jointly with the Kowloon Motor Bus Company.
The cross-harbour bus services continued to be popular and two new routes were introduced during the year, making a total of five. During 1973, the companies carried 20.9 million passengers through the cross-harbour tunnel, a significant increase over the 12.3 million passengers carried in the last five months of 1972, after the opening of the tunnel.
The New Lantau Bus Company was formed in early 1973, with the amalgamation of the three companies previously operating on the island. The company operated 41 buses, and carried 1,753,000 passengers during the year.
The 3,900 public light buses (14-seater), carrying an estimated 1.15 million pas- sengers a day, continued to be a large public transport factor. They may ply for hire on any route, except for some particularly congested areas, where they are banned or where the setting down or picking up of passengers is prohibited. Fares are not regulated.
Trams
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Hongkong Tramways operates an electric tramway service along the north shore of Hong Kong Island, with a fleet of 162 double-deck tramcars and 22 single-deck trailers. The double-tracked route, which runs from Kennedy Town in the west to Shau Kei Wan in the east, is divided into three main routes, two of which are about five miles long and include a single track loop around Happy Valley. The maximum frequency of the service through the city centre is one tramcar about every 25 seconds in each direction. In 1973 each vehicle carried an average of 899,500 passengers, the highest annual utilisation of any form of public transport. By the end of 1973, almost all tramcars had been converted to one-conductor operation.
The Peak Tramways Company has operated a funicular railway service to Vic- toria Peak since 1888. The present system has been in use since 1925, with cars drawn