MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1986
STATISTICS ON IMPACT OF MTR ISLAND LINE RELEASED
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THE PASSENGER DECLINE ON VARIOUS PUBLIC TRANSPORT MODES AS A RESULT OF THE OPENING OF THE MTR ISLAND LINE TAPERED OFF IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER LAST YEAR BUT THE PATRONAGE LOSS ON EXPRESS BUS SERVICES OPERATED BY CMB ALONG THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR OF HONG KONG ISLAND REMAINED WELL OVER 40 PER CENT.
THIS WAS REVEALED IN A TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF THE ISLAND LINE IN THE MONTHS AUGUST TO NOVEMBER, 1985. THE STATISTICS WERE BASED LARGELY ON TRAFFIC RETURNS SUBMITTED BY OPERATORS AND SUPPLEMENTED BY SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THE DEPARTMENT.
ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, TOTAL PASSENGERS ON THE MTR NUMBERED AROUND 1.4 MILLION PASSENGERS PER DAY IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, REPRESENTING INCREASES OF ABOUT 27 PER CENT OVER THE MARCH AVERAGE. IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, THE AVERAGE DAILY RIDERSHIP LEVELLED OFF TO 1.38 MILLION PASSENGERS.
THE RATE OF PASSENGER DECREASE ON BUS AND FERRY SERVICES IN NOVEMBER COMPARED WITH THE MARCH LEVEL WAS THE LOWEST RECORDED SINCE THE OPENING OF THE ISLAND LINE. AS FOR TRAMS, THE PASSENGER VOLUMES IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER EXCEEDED THE MARCH FIGURES.
EVEN SO, CMB CORRIDOR EXPRESS SERVICES, WHICH INCLUDE SUCH ROUTES AS NO. 108, 20, 21, 22, 80 AND 81M, CONTINUED TO SUFFER AN AVERAGE PATRONAGE LOSS OF 42 PER CENT IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER AND AN AVERAGE LOSS OF 47 PER CENT IN THE PRECEDING TWO MONTHS.
THE AVERAGE DECREASE REGISTERED BY CMB BUS SERVICES VIA THE ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR WAS 32 PER CENT IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, AND 27 PER CENT IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER.
CORRIDOR URBAN BUS SERVICES, SUCH AS ROUTES NO. 2, 16 AND 82 WHICH RUN PARALLEL TO THE ISLAND LINE REPORTED AN AVERAGE DROP OF 21 PER CENT IN DAILY PASSENGER VOLUME IN AUGUST AND 10 PER CENT IN NOVEMBER. FOR ROUTES WHICH ARE ONLY PARTLY PARALLEL WITH THE ISLAND LINE, SUCH AS NO. 5, 10, 24 AND 81, THE PASSENGER LOSS ALSO EASED FROM THE 17 PER CENT RECORDED IN AUGUST TO SEVEN PER CENT IN NOVEMBER.
HOWEVER CMB'S FEEDER ROUTES TO MTR STATIONS CONTINUED TO SHOW OVERALL INCREASES OF 28 PER CENT IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER COMPARED WITH MARCH.
OVERALL, HONG KONG ISLAND INTERNAL BUS ROUTES RECORDED A PATRONAGE DECLINE OF 20 PER CENT IN AUGUST COMPARED WITH THE MARCH VOLUME. THE FIGURES FOR SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER WERE 16 PER CENT, 11 PER CENT AND NINE PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.
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