TRANSPORT
Aerial Ropeway
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An aerial ropeway operates at Ocean Park in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. Designed to carry visitors between the park's lowland and headland sites, the system has 246 cars in service with a total carrying capacity of 1 476 persons. During the year the system carried an average of 3 000 passengers a day.
Ferries
Ferries continue to provide an important means of public transport in Hong Kong. Services are mainly provided by the two franchised companies - the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Company Limited (HYF) and the Star Ferry Company Limited (SF). The Star Ferry operates a fleet of 10 vessels plying across the harbour between Edinburgh Place on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom in Kowloon. During the year, the company carried 40 million passengers on its two routes. HYF operates 16 cross-harbour services (three of which carry vehicles), nine outlying district services and two excursion services. The company has a fleet of 85 vessels, comprising double and triple-deck ferries and high speed hovercraft, some of which are air-conditioned. Fares on HYF's ferry services were increased on January 1. Cross-harbour passenger fares range from $1.7 to $5 for ordinary class. Outlying district fares range from $1 to $9 on weekdays and $1 to $11 on Sundays and public holidays. During the year, HYF carried 77 million passengers and four million vehicles, a decline of eight per cent and five per cent respectively compared with 1985.
As a result of the opening of the MTR Island Line, HYF's cross-harbour passenger ferry services experienced a drop in patronage of 13 per cent compared with 1985. This trend is expected-to continue beyond the projected opening in 1990 of the Eastern Harbour Crossing. The withdrawal of the Chai Wan to Kwun Tong passenger service at the end of March marked the beginning of a phased reduction in cross-harbour services in response to continuing decline in patronage.
In addition to the services operated by the two franchised ferry companies, 10 minor ferry services are provided to outlying islands by six licensed operators. To cater for local demand, mainly in the outlying rural areas, supplementary services known as 'kaitos' are available. During the year, 126 'kaitos' were in operation. Both types of services are controlled by licences issued by the Transport Department under the Ferry Services Ordinance. In Victoria Harbour, fleets of motor boats known as 'walla-wallas' are available for hire at public piers.
Three new piers were opened during the year one at Tsing Yi, one at Sai Wan Ho for the licensed ferry service to Rennie's Mill and one near Butterfly Estate in Tuen Mun.
Taxis
Hong Kong is served by three types of taxis: Hong Kong and Kowloon taxis which may operate anywhere within Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories (but primarily serve the urban areas); New Territories taxis which operate only in permitted areas in the New Territories, and Lantau taxis which operate only on Lantau Island.
For urban area taxis, fares were $5 for the first two kilometres and 70 cents for each subsequent 267 metres. For the New Territories and Lantau, the fare was revised to $4 for the first two kilometres and 80 cents for each subsequent 400 metres, from March 1. A double toll charge is applicable for taxis crossing the harbour.
A comprehensive review of taxi policy is being carried out by a sub-committee of the Transport Advisory Committee. It is scheduled to be completed in late 1987.