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TRANSPORT
The former Mass Transit Railway Corporation was established by statute in 1975 to operate the MTR. The first passenger train service on the Kwun Tong Line of the MTR began in 1979. The MTR was subsequently expanded to include the Tsuen Wan Line (1982), the Island Line (1985), the Eastern Harbour Crossing rail tunnel connecting Kwun Tong Line to Quarry Bay (1989), the Tung Chung Line (1998) and the Tseung Kwan O Line (2002). The MTR carried a daily average of about 2.3 million passengers in 2002. The company also operates the Airport Express, a dedicated rail link between the airport and the city centre. The Airport Express carried a daily average of about 23 000 passengers in 2002.
In February 2000, the Legislative Council passed legislation to privatise a substantial minority of the Government's shareholding in the company and the privatised entity, MTR Corporation Limited, was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in October that year.
Tramway
Electric trams have been operating on Hong Kong Island since 1904. The Hong Kong Tramways Limited operates six routes on 13 kilometres of double track along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, and about three kilometres of single track around Happy Valley.
The company's 164 trams, including two open-balcony trams for tourists and private hire and one special maintenance tram, make up the world's only fully double-decker tram fleet. The trams recorded an average of 240 000 passenger trips daily in 2002. Fares were $2 for adults and $1 for children aged under 12 and senior citizens aged 65 or above..
Peak Tram
Hong Kong's other tramway is a cable-hauled funicular railway operated by the Peak Tramways Company Limited from Central (Garden Road) to the Peak. The 1.4- kilometre tramway began operation in 1888 and was modernised in 1989. It served an average of 10 000 passengers a day in 2002, mostly tourists and local sightseers. One- way fares for adults, children aged under 12 and senior citizens aged 65 or above were $20, $6 and $7, respectively.
Other Road-based Passenger Transport
comprising mainly franchised account for 67 per cent of all
The other road-based passenger transport modes buses, public light buses, taxis and residents' services public transport journeys. Franchised buses are the largest road-based carriers and account for about 39 per cent of the total daily public transport volume.
Franchised Buses
Local bus services in Kowloon and the New Territories are largely provided by the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB). At year-end, the company operated 327 bus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories; 22 and 29 cross-harbour routes jointly with Citybus Limited (CTB) and New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) respectively; and 10 cross-harbour routes on its own.
The KMB fleet comprised 4 430 licensed vehicles at year-end; 3 319 were air- conditioned and 1 275 wheelchair-accessible. KMB recorded 1.13 billion passenger trips (a daily average of 3.11 million passenger trips) and covered 349.9 million