ENG-1974 — Page 207

146

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

Hong Kong Island saw the introduction of the territory's first 'bus-only' lane in September 1973, and the success of this initial experiment resulted in a more ambitious scheme being introduced in the Mid-Levels area in April 1974. This scheme reserved some two miles of road for buses only, and despite initial problems, proved effective in improving the efficiency and reliability of bus services in the area to the extent that passenger trips increased by 40 per cent. The popular cross-harbour bus routes carried 67.5 million passengers and operated 8.6 million miles during the year. The China Motor Bus Company is constructing a new multi-storey depot at Chai Wan capable of accommodating 450 large capacity double-deck buses. Building has started and is expected to be completed towards the end of 1975. The present franchises of both KMB and CMB are due to expire on February 14, 1975. However, in 1974 negotiations for new franchises on different terms were taking place with the bus companies and a new Bill to govern the operation of all omnibus services was intro- duced into the Legislative Council.

On Lantau Island, bus services are provided by the New Lantau Bus Company (1973) under a non-exclusive franchise issued on April 1, 1974. The company's main problem is catering for recreational traffic with 38 per cent of the total number of passengers being carried on Sundays and public holidays.

The 14-seater public light buses (PLBs or mini-buses) are a popular form of public transport, carrying an estimated 1.2 million passengers a day. There were 4,277 licensed at the end of the year. They may ply for hire anywhere except on roads or in areas where prohibitions or restrictions apply. Because of the tendency of light- bus drivers to stop indiscriminately and obstruct traffic flow, more restricted zones had to be introduced during the year, the most significant of which affected a large part of Central district where public light buses are now prohibited. This particular scheme resulted in a two-day strike in January by mini-bus drivers on Hong Kong Island. However, it was interesting to note that during the period of the strike, the franchised bus and tram companies were able to cope adequately, mainly because of the significant reduction in traffic congestion. This enabled them to operate almost all scheduled journeys, as opposed to usual losses of up to 25 per cent of scheduled mileage. Mini-bus fares are not regulated and tend to operate according to demand. During the year, efforts were made to persuade mini-bus operators to provide feeder routes over roads generally unsuitable for more conventional buses. This has met with little response, though on Hong Kong Island there are now three such routes linking the Peak and upper Mid-Levels areas with Central.

Coaches for sight-seeing tours and school and factory buses are operated by a number of companies. In addition, some schools and factories provide their own private omnibus and light-bus services. At the end of 1974, the number of vehicles licensed for these purposes totalled 3,150.

Trams

The Hongkong Tramways Company operates 162 double-deck tramcars and 22 single-deck trailers along 8.7 miles of double-track on the north shore of Hong Kong Island stretching from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan with a single-track loop