152
COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
Aerial Ropeways The cable car system at Ocean Park, an oceanarium near Aberdeen, on Hong Kong Island, carried 1.59 million passengers in 1979. The system has the capacity to carry 5,000 passengers an hour in each direction in 246 cars which can seat six people. The cable car traverses a 1.4-kilometre route during its seven-minute journey.
Ferries
Hong Kong has a total area of 1,059 square kilometres comprising a mainland area and 236 islands. As many of the islands are populated and some are popular holiday resorts, ferry services play a major role in providing both commuter and recreational transport. The two major ferry operators are the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company Limited and the Star Ferry Company Limited. The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company, with a fleet of 82 vessels which include double-deck and triple-deck ferries, water buses, water taxis and hoverferries, provides a network of 29 ferry services. These consist of three vehicular services, 14 cross-harbour passenger services, 11 services to outlying districts and one service along the north shore of Hong Kong Island. The vehicular ferry services carry 10,250 vehicles a day at charges ranging from $1 (motor cycle), $3 (motor car) to $75 (heavy goods vehicles which exceed 11 metres in length). Daily passengers on the 14 cross- harbour services total 330,800.
On November 1, there was a general increase in fares for the cross-harbour and outlying district ferry services owing to higher operating and fuel costs. On most routes, passengers are now carried at a flat fare of 50 cents. On the remaining routes, the fares range from $1 to $6 depending on the service offered.
The Star Ferry Company Limited has a fleet of 10 vessels which link Edinburgh Place on Hong Kong Island with Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom in Kowloon. Fares charged on the Edinburgh Place to Tsim Sha Tsui crossing are 30 cents on the upper deck and 20 cents on the lower deck. A flat fare of 50 cents is charged on the service to Hung Hom. The two services carry a total of 154,900 passengers a day. During Typhoon Hope on August 2, the company's Tsim Sha Tsui piers were damaged when they were rammed by a container ship. This resulted in longer waiting times, during peak periods, for people catching the ferries.
Apart from the two major ferry operators, there are several minor ones. In addition, 'walla-wallas' (motor boats) are also available at the public piers on both sides of Victoria Harbour. In the New Territories there are supplementary services, known as 'kaitos", which are organised by villagers to meet local demand.
Taxis
There are two types of taxis in Hong Kong. One is licensed to operate in the urban areas including all of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the new towns of Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin in the New Territories. The other is for the rural areas of the New Territories. In early 1979, fares for urban taxis increased to $2.50 for the first 1.6 kilometres and 50 cents for each subsequent fifth or part of that distance. A surcharge of $10 is made for cross-harbour journeys. By the end of 1979, there were 8,024 taxis serving the urban areas. The rural areas are served by a fleet of 738 taxis which charge a standard fare of $1.50 for each 1.6 kilometres.
Following a review of the taxi trade carried out by the Transport Department, the laws relating to taxi malpractices were strengthened, and more new taxis were licensed to meet the increasing demand.