XN000022-1977-03-15 — Page 2

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1977

PUBLIC TRANSPORT CARRIES OVER 5.5 MILLION PASSENGERS DAILY

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SOME 5.72 MILLION PASSENGERS WERE CARRIED EVERY DAY BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN HONG KONG LAST YEAR - AN ALL-TIME RECORD.

OF THESE, 2.59 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT TRAVELLED BY BUSES- 1,6 MILLION OR 28 PER CENT BY PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES- 638,000 OR 11 PER CENT BY TAXIS AND PUBLIC HIRE CARS- 508,000 OR NINE PER CENT BY FERRIES 350,000 OR SIX PER CENT BY TRAMS AND 34,000 OR LESS THAN ONE PER CENT BY TRAINS.

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY THAT IN TERMS OF CAPACITY AND FREQUENCIES OPERATED, THE NETWORK OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES WHICH CARRIED ALMOST SIX MILLION PASSENGERS A DAY +EXCEEDS ALL KNOWN RECORDS IN UTILISATION AND VIABILITY.+

+HONG KONG+, HE WENT ON, +PRIDES ITSELF ON HAVING ONE OF THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD.+

THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE PASSENGER GROWTH RATE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT RIDERSHIP AVERAGED EIGHT PER CENT OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS.

AND OVER 80 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION RELY UPON THE VARIOUS FORMS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO MEET THEIR DAILY TRAVEL NEEDS.

THE SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT LAST YEAR SAW A CONSOLIDATION OF THE TRENDS, FIRST ESTABLISHED IN 1973, OF A SUBSTANTIAL SWITCH TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT, ESPECIALLY BUS SERVICES.

THIS WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY IMPROVED SERVICES AND LARGER OPERATING FLEETS, HE ADDED. ALTOGETHER, 22 NEW ROUTES WERE INTRODUCED AND OVER 60 SERVICES HAD INCREASED FREQUENCIES DURING 1976.

ON TRANSPORT FARES LEVELS, THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT DID NOT ANTICIPATE ANY INCREASES IN BUS FARES THIS YEAR ALTHOUGH FARES MIGHT RISE ON WALLAH-WALLAH BOATS AND POSSIBLY MINIBUSES. THE RECENT RISE IN OIL PRICES WAS UNLIKELY TO JUSTIFY THE SUGGESTED TAXI FARE INCREASE.

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