TNAG-1267-FCO40-1616-Economic-situation-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 281

tivity in selected tertiary services sectors

5.17

For public transport, the number of passenger

journeys (including those on the Mass Transit Railway), at 1 052 million, was 10% higher than in the first half of 1982. About 198 million passenger journeys, equivalent to 19% of the total passenger journeys on public transport, were made on the Mass Transit Railway, compared with 15% in the same period of 1982. The increase was partly attributable to the opening of the MTR Tsuen Wan Extension in May 1982. Comparing the first

half of

of 1983 with the first half of 1982, the number of

passenger journeys on

journeys on buses of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company and on those of China Motor Bus Company increased by 4% and

11% respectively. Reflecting the growing acceptance of

of the

Mass Transit Railway as an alternative means of transport

between Hong Kong and Kowloon, the number of passenger journeys on ferries of the Star Ferry Company decreased by 3% and on those of Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry decreased by 17%. Largely due to the opening of the double tracked electric service, the number of passenger journeys on the Kowloon Canton Railway increased by 87%.

5.18

For private transport, mainly due to the slowdown in economic growth and to

to the tax increases introduced

introduced in May

1982 and in February 1983, the number of newly registered

private cars showed a significant drop, from 13 820 in the first half of 1982 to only 3 936 in the first half of 1983. The total number of private cars registered at the end of June

1983, at 209 000, was 4% less than that at the end of June

1982.

5.19

As for air transport, the number of air passengers

in the first half of 1983 was 3% more than in the first half

of 1982. The number of aircraft movements was, however, 4% less. This discrepancy in growth rates was due to higher load

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/factors