ENG-1968 — Page 272

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COMMUNICATIONS

on repairing and replacing the 2,500 or so meters damaged, stolen or written off during the 1967 disturbances was completed in July, and a programme for the installation of an additional 2,000 meters in areas where there is a high parking demand was drawn up. It is hoped this will be carried out early in 1969.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Public transport in Hong Kong, with the exception of the railway, is operated by private enterprise. The Government retains powers designed to ensure efficient operation. There are five major public transport companies which operate under ordinances which grant monopoly rights, but require the provision of adequate services.

On Hong Kong Island two public transport companies have exclusive franchises to operate bus and tram services. In Kowloon and the New Territories another company has the exclusive bus franchise. Two large ferry companies have monopolies to operate services on specified routes across the harbour. Other minor cross- harbour services operate under licence.

During the year, 1,200 million people travelled on all public transport services. This was an increase of 14 per cent on the 1967 figure. Passengers on urban transport services, including bus services on both sides of the harbour, trams on Hong Kong Island, cross- harbour ferries and local passengers on the railway, totalled 1,123 million which was an increase of 14 per cent. In the New Territories 77 million passengers were carried on buses, trains and ferries, an increase of 13 per cent. It is, perhaps, unrealistic to compare transport statistics for 1968 with those of the preceding year since the operations of all five major public transport companies were affected in varying degrees by stoppages during the 1967 disturb- ances. Appendix XXXVIII provides a better guide to progress in that it lists the traffic carried annually by each of the public trans- port undertakings between the years 1959 and 1968.

Bus services in Kowloon and the New Territories are operated by the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited. At the end of 1968, its fleet totalled 1,050 vehicles, comprising 625 double- deck buses and 425 single-deck buses. During the year one single- deck bus was taken out of service. The fleet's total passenger-carrying capacity at the end of the year was 79,349. All double-deck buses