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COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
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anywhere. Transport services include a high-speed urban electric railway operated by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation and a suburban railway the British section of the Kowloon-Canton Railway which is being electrified; a dense network of more than 300 bus routes serving all parts of Kowloon, the New Territories, and the islands of Hong Kong and Lantau; one of the world's largest ferry fleets operating vehicular and passenger services across Victoria Harbour and linking Hong Kong Island with the outlying islands and parts of the New Territories; a large fleet of 14-seater public light buses operating over some 120 established routes with freedom to adjust their fares, frequency and routes in response to demand; a fleet of 11 061 taxis, 891 of them operating solely in the New Territories; a slow but very high capacity tramway service operating along Hong Kong Island's main urban corridor; and a funicular cable tramway ascending one of the world's steepest gradients to Victoria Peak. All except the railways are operated by private companies.
During 1981, both major bus companies, both major ferry operators and the tramway were granted approval to raise their fares. Gains in operating efficiency were no longer sufficient to cover rapidly rising costs, due to loss of passengers to the MTR. The easing of pressure on these services has, however, brought benefits in terms of some reduction in overcrowding and waiting times. Despite recent increases, the fares still remain cheap by comparison with other major cities.
Buses
The government has granted franchises on a route basis to three bus companies which, together, carry an average of 3.4 million passengers a day.
In 1981 there was a continued growth in the number of motor vehicles in use, and increased road congestion caused a consequent deterioration in bus operating speeds in many traffic corridors. To maintain mobility for the majority of commuters who use public transport, the government has engaged consultants to examine and plan a number of traffic management schemes incorporating priority for buses with the objective of reducing bus journey times and improving service reliability.
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is the largest of the three franchised companies, with a fleet of 2 390 buses operating over routes in Kowloon, the New Territories and, jointly with China Motor Bus Company Limited, through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. In 1981, the fleet carried 933 million passengers and travelled 134 million kilometres. Fares are charged according to route distance and range from 50 cents for short urban routes to $4 for the longest cross-harbour route. A higher scale of fares applies to the 15 express coach services, two of which serve Hong Kong International Airport and to special recreational services.
The introduction of higher fares in April, and a reduced rate of bus service expansion in the first half of the year, had the effect of reducing bus patronage - particularly on the express coach services and cross-harbour routes – bringing a significant reduction in the level of overcrowding. KMB's expansion in 1981 continued to be heavily concentrated on serving the rapidly developing new towns in the New Territories. In 1981, eight new routes were introduced, requiring an additional daily allocation of 52 buses.
The China Motor Bus Company Limited (CMB) operates 86 bus routes on Hong Kong Island and 16 cross-harbour routes jointly with KMB. In 1981, the fleet carried 287 million passengers and travelled 43 million kilometres. Development of the company's services during most of 1981 was confined to increases in fleet capacity by replacement with new larger buses. But, during the last quarter, three new routes and frequency increases on one
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