COMMUNICATIONS
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differ only in that they may seat a maximum of nine passengers, but most vehicles registered in this category are hired out for self- drive and do not require a franchise. At the end of the year there were 919 public cars licensed. No scale of fees is laid down for the hire of public cars or omnibuses.
FERRY SERVICES
The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company Limited operates a fleet of 67 diesel-engined ferries, 14 of which are vehicle ferries. The company maintains 10 routes in the harbour between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, three of which are vehicle ferry routes. These three consist of a combined passenger-vehicle link between the central district of Hong Kong Island and Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon, a route for vehicles only between North Point and Kowloon City, and a double-decker vehicle ferry service between the central district and Yau Ma Tei. Ferries to outlying districts call at Ma Wan, Castle Peak, Tung Chung, Sha Lo Wan and Tai O; Peng Chau, Silver Mine Bay, Chi Ma Wan and Cheung Chau; Tsing Yi Island and Tsuen Wan, and Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island. There is also a service from Tai Po Kau to Tap Mun in Tolo Harbour. During 1968, 167.3 million passengers and 4.9 million vehicles were carried. The Kowloon City-Wan Chai service, the only one of the company's 11 cross-harbour routes which was suspended during the 1967 disturbances, remains suspended pending a decision on the cross-harbour tunnel.
The Star Ferry Company Limited runs a passenger ferry service across the harbour between Victoria City on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui on the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula. The company uses 10 vessels on this service with a total passenger- carrying capacity of 5,500. A supplementary service was introduced in October to cope with the daily peak hour traffic and to relieve congestion at the ferry concourses. During 1968, 51.113 million passengers were carried. The Hung Hom-Edinburgh Place route remains suspended pending a detailed examination of its usefulness.
ADMINISTRATION
The Transport Advisory Committee was formed in 1965 with a membership of six official members and nine unofficial members,
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