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VI
SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 1986
CROSS-HARBOUR FERRY SERVICES OPERATED BY HYF AND STAR FERRY REPORTED AN AVERAGE PASSENGER LOSS OF NINE PER CENT AND THREE PER CENT RESPECTIVELY DURING THE PERIOD UNDER REVIEW WHEN COMPARED WITH THE FIGURES IN MARCH.
THE THREE HARDEST HIT ROUTES WERE HYF'S NORTH POINT-HUNG HOW, SAI WAN HO-KOWLOON CITY AND SAI WAN HO-KWUN TONG SERVICES. IN DECEMBER, PATRONAGE ON THESE THREE ROUTES WERE 25 PER CENT TO 39 PER CENT DOWN ON THE MARCH VOLUME.
IN SEPTEMBER, PATRONAGE ON HYF'S CROSS-HARBOUR SERVICES HIT A RECORD LOW SINCE THE OPENING OF THE ISLAND LINE, DROPPING TO 12 PER CENT DOWN ON THE MARCH VOLUME.
AN UPWARD TREND THEN FOLLOWED, PUSHING THE FIGURE TO JUST SEVEN PER CENT BELOW THE MARCH VOLUME IN NOVEMBER. PATRONAGE HOWEVER DROPPED AGAIN IN DECEMBER TO 10 PER CENT DOWN ON THE MARCH AVERAGE.
THE STAR FERRY ALSO SAW ITS WORST MONTH IN SEPTEMBER, WITH THE PASSENGER VOLUME DROPPING TO NINE PER CENT BELOW THE MARCH LEVEL. HOWEVER PATRONAGE HAD RISEN STEADILY SINCE THEN, IN DECEMBER, A THREE PER CENT INCREASE OVER THE MARCH VOLUME WAS RECORDED.
THE RATE OF PASSENGER DECREASE FOR TRAMS WAS HIGHEST IN JUNE WHEN PATRONAGE DROPPED TO SIX PER CENT BELOW THE MARCH AVERAGE. HOWEVER, IN JULY AND THE LAST THREE MONTHS OF 1985, RIDERSHIP ON TRAMS WAS HIGHER THAN THE MARCH FIGURES.
THE ONLY MONTH IN WHICH GREEN MINIBUSES ON HONG KONG ISLAND SUFFERED A LOSS OF PASSENGERS WAS JUNE. PATRONAGE THEN GREW STEADILY AND IN THE LAST QUARTER, THE GROWTH LEVELLED OFF AT AROUND 14 PER CENT UP ON THE MARCH VOLUME.
A TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT ALTHOUGH TRANSPORT PATTERNS ON HONG KONG ISLAND SEEMED TO HAVE SETTLED DOWN BY THE END OF 1985, IT WOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE GENERAL TRANSPORT SITUATION, ESPECIALLY AFTER MAY WHEN THE ISLAND LINE IS EXTENDED TO SHEUNG WAN.
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