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COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
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To ensure that the expansion of the two major bus companies Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited and the China Motor Bus Company Limited - was accompanied by a parallel development of maintenance and depot facilities, the injection of planning and management resources, and the provision of new equipment, both companies signed an agreement with the government in February, 1980, defining improvements to be achieved in these areas.
Detailed consideration continued on development proposals for a possible fixed road crossing between Lantau and the mainland, which was recommended by consultants appointed by the government in 1979.
In view of the increasing traffic in the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, a group of consultants was appointed by the government to examine the various aspects of additional cross- harbour facilities. The study of short-term options was finalised, and work on the long- term study was scheduled for completion in early 1981. Good progress was made on the construction of the Aberdeen Tunnel, one tube of which is expected to be open for traffic by August, 1981. The tunnel, together with its approaches, will provide a high-capacity traffic corridor linking the southern part of Hong Kong with the rest of the territory.
Public Transport
Probably no country can equal the intensity, productivity and diversity of Hong Kong's public transport system. The comprehensive range of transport services available includes some 3,130 franchised buses and coaches (of which approximately 86 per cent are double- deckers); 4,350 minibuses; 9,856 taxis; 163 double-deck trams with 20 single-deck trailers; 93 ferry vessels; a funicular cable tramway ascending one of the world's steepest gradients; diesel-hauled trains of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British section); and the Mass Transit Railway. Traffic figures for the various transport modes are detailed in Appendix 36.
Buses
The government awards franchises on a route basis to three bus companies which, together, carry an average of 3.3 million passengers a day.
The year 1980 saw continued growth in the number of motor vehicles in use, and a con- sequent deterioration in bus operating speeds in many traffic corridors. To maintain mobility for the majority of commuters, who use public transport, the government has stepped-up the introduction of public transport priority schemes, including bus-only and tram-only lanes (which are being introduced, in stages, over a five-kilometer stretch of road along the north shore of Hong Kong Island between Shau Kei Wan and Causeway Bay). Similar schemes for other urban areas, such as in the Central District of Hong Kong Island and Sham Shui Po and Kwai Chung in Kowloon, were in the course of preparation during the year.
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The Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited is the largest of the three franchised companies, with a fleet of buses operating over routes in Kowloon, the New Territories and, jointly with China Motor Bus Company Limited, through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. In 1980, the fleet carried 912 million passengers and travelled 122 million kilometres. Fares are charged according to route distance and range from 30 cents to $5. A higher scale of fares applies to the 16 express coach services, two of which serve Hong Kong International Airport.
The opening of the MTR and the introduction of higher bus fares in February, had a significant effect on bus services. This was particularly noticeable on the cross-harbour and coach services routes, and on routes running parallel to the railway, where demand