SUNDAY, JULY 27, 1975
MORE PEOPLE USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT
+
THAN EVER BEFORE
******
THE FIRST HALF OF 1975 SAW AN ALL-TIME RECORD IN THE USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES FOR ANY SIX-MONTH PERIOD, WITH THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES, MOSTLY PRIVATE CARS, CONTINUING TO DROP.
OFFICIAL STATISTICS INDICATE THAT A LOT MORE PEOPLE ARE NOW USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT THAN EVER BEFORE, WHILE THE NUMBER OF RCGISTERED VEHICLES HAS FALLEN TO 189,000 FROM THE HIGHEST OF 202,953 IN NOVEMBER 1973.
MORE THAN 588.2 MILLION PEOPLE USED BUSES, FERRIES, TRAMS AND TRAINS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS THIS YEAR 46.3 MILLIONOR 8.5 PER CENT MORE THAN IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
COMMENTING ON THE DEVELOPMENT, MR. PETER MILLER, ACTING ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, SAID TODAY MORE FREQUENT AND QUICKER BUS SERVICES, COUPLED WITH IMPROVED HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEMES, HAD MADE THE USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT MORE POPULAR.
BASED ON THE FIGURES FOR THIS YEAR, HE SAID, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE DAILY AVERAGE OF PASSENGERS USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT WOULD REACH A STAGGERING 5.1 MILLION BY THE YEAR'S END, OF WHICH - 44.9 PER CENT WOULD BE BY BUS, 23.0 PER CENT BY MINIBUS, 12 PER CENT BY TAXIS OR HIRE CAR, 10.7 PER CENT BY FERRY, 7.9 PER CENT BY TRAM AND 0.7 PER CENT BY RAILWAY.
+AND IF THE PRESENT TRENDS CONTINUE WITH VEHICLE REGISTRATION, THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES ON THE ROADS COULD WELL DROP TO 113,000 BY DECEMLER THIS YEAR, HE ADDED.
MR. MILLER INDICATED THAT 1975 WOULD LIKELY BECOME A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FULLY INTEGRATED AND EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN HONG KONG, WITH COMPREHENSIVE ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRAVEL THE ENVÝ OF ANY URBAN CENTRE IN THE WORLD.+
HE NOTED THAT THE COST OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARES IN REAL TERMS WAS IN FACT LESS THAN IT WAS THREE YEARS AGO, ALLOWING FOR THE RATE 'O INFLATION.
ENCOURAGING STATISTICS SHOW THAT FROM JANUARY TO JUNE THIS YEAR, THE KOWLOON MOTOR BUS COMPANY CARRIED 307.3 MILLION PASSENGERS, WHICH REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 33.2 MILLION OR 12.1 PER CENT OVER THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1974.
/THE CHINA