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Public Transport
COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
There is public transport by road, tram, train, and ferry. Scheduled passenger services are provided by seven private companies and the government-operated Kowloon-Canton Railway. Hong Kong Island is served by the China Motor Bus Company (CMB), Hongkong Tramways, and the Peak Tramways Company. Kowloon and the mainland part of the New Territories are served by the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (KMB). The New Lantau Bus Company operates services on Lantau Island. Both CMB and KMB also operate joint cross-harbour services using the cross-harbour tunnel. Regular and comprehensive cross-harbour and outlying island ferry services are run by the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company, while the Star Ferry Company operates a service between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui as well as a resumed service between Central and Hung Hom. Additional passenger transport services are provided by public light buses, taxis and public hire cars. Passenger traffic carried by each of the undertakings during the past three years is listed in Appendix 36.
Buses
Public omnibus services are operated under franchises granted in accordance with the provisions of the Public Omnibus Services Ordinance which came into operation on September 1, 1975. Three private companies provide facilities on specified routes with schedules of service laid down by the Transport Department covering route, timetable, faretable, journey distance, journey time, vehicle alloca- tion, and vehicle carrying capacity.
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company continued to expand its fleet and to in- troduce new routes in Kowloon and the mainland area of the New Territories. In 1975 daily passenger traffic increased by 12 per cent to 1.7 million. The licensed fleet increased from 1,371 to 1,560 vehicles—of which 1,112 were double-deck buses, 362 single-deck buses and 86 coaches--boosting the total carrying capacity by 12.6 per cent to 140,412. At the end of the year, the company had on order or under construction 219 double-deck buses, 45 single-deck buses and 16 single-deck coaches. Some 78 per cent of the fleet's vehicles are now one-man operated using an exact fare system. In 1975 the company operated 63 million miles, introducing 33 new routes which brought the total to 137 routes. The new additions included 13 express coach routes, two of which operate to and from the airport. These coach services have guaranteed seating and they carried an average of 15,200 passengers daily. Fares remained unchanged during the year.
On Hong Kong Island, the China Motor Bus Company recorded substantial increases in fleet, passenger traffic, carrying capacity and mileage operated during the year. The fleet increased by 6 per cent, with 579 double-deck and 50 single-deck vehicles carrying 591,129 passengers daily, compared with 496,358 a day in 1974. The company operated 22.8 million miles during the year and introduced 10 additional routes. Progress continued with converting single-deck buses to double-deckers and the total carrying capacity increased by 9.9 per cent to 55,210. Some 99 per cent of the vehicles are now one-man operated. At the end of the year, the company had on