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MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1986
AS FOR CMB AND KMB CROSS-HARBOUR SERVICES RUNNING IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE ISLAND, INCLUDING ROUTES NO. 102, 106, 112 AND 116, THE DECREASE IN PASSENGER VOLUME DURING THE FOUR MONTHS UNDER REVIEW RANGED FROM 12 TO 37 PER CENT.
AS PART OF ITS ON-GOING EXERCISE TO STREAMLINE BUS OPERATIONS FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF THE ISLAND LINE, CMB HAS REDUCED THE FREQUENCY OF SERVICES ON ROUTES NO. 5 AND 23B AND SUSPENDED THE SATURDAY AFTERNOON SERVICE OF ROUTE NO. 16.
MEANWHILE, THE PASSENGER VOLUMES FOR TRAMS IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER WERE UP BY FIVE PER CENT AND TWO PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER THE MARCH FIGURES. HOWEVER, IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, DECREASES OF FOUR PER CENT AND THREE PER CENT WERE REGISTERED RESPECTIVELY.
IN SEPTEMBER, HYF'S CROSS-HARBOUR FERRY ROUTES RECORDED THE LOWEST PATRONAGE SINCE THE ISLAND LINE COMMENCED OPERATION, WITH THE DAILY PASSENGER FIGURES DROPPING TO 12 PER CENT BELOW THE MARCH VOLUME. ALTHOUGH A MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN PATRONAGE WAS NOTED IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS, THE RATE OF DECREASE STILL STOOD AT SEVEN PER CENT IN NOVEMBER. THE NORTH POINT - HUNG HOM SERVICE REMAINED THE HARDEST HIT, FOLLOWED BY THE SAI WAN HO - KOWLOON CITY AND THE SAI WAN HOKWUN TONG SERVICES.
THE PERIOD UNDER REVIEW SAW GREAT FLUCTUATIONS IN PATRONAGE ON STAR FERRY SERVICES. IN SEPTEMBER, THE DECLINE IN PASSENGERS
PATRONAGE COMPARED WITH MARCH WAS NINE PER CENT BUT IN NOVEMBER, CLIMBED BACK TO THE PRE-ISLAND LINE OPENING LEVEL.
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AS FOR THE KCR, RIDERSHIP HAD INCREASED STEADILY. BETWEEN AUGUST AND OCTOBER, THE RISE IN PATRONAGE WAS AROUND 12 PER CENT OVER THE FIGURES IN MAY, AND BY NOVEMBER, THE INCREASE ROSE TO 15 PER CENT.
THE GROWTH IN PATRONAGE ON GREEN MINIBUS SERVICES WAS ALSO SUSTAINED. IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAILY PASSENGERS CARRIED BY GREEN MINIBUSES ON HONG KONG ISLAND WAS EIGHT PER CENT HIGHER THAN THE MARCH FIGURES WHILE IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, THE INCREASE WAS 15 PER CENT.
A TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN STRESSED THAT THE PATRONAGE CHANGES RECORDED MIGHT NOT BE WHOLLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE OPENING OF THE ISLAND LINE. OTHER FACTORS SUCH AS SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN DEMAND, POPULATION CHANGES AND SERVICE CHANGES MIGHT ALSO HAVE PLAYED A PART IN AFFECTING THE PASSENGER VOLUMES.
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