ENG-1991 — Page 281

TRANSPORT

1.4-kilometre line began operation in 1888 and climbs 373 metres on gradients as steep as one-in-two. The service caters largely for sightseers but also serves Peak district commuters. Patronage of the line, which was fully modernised in 1989, averaged 8 580 passengers a day. One-way fares for adults and children are $10 and $4 respectively.

Road Passenger Transport

Despite the growth of rail services, road passenger transport still accounted for two-thirds of all public transport journeys. Of the journeys made by road, over half were on franchised buses, with the remainder handled variously by non-franchised buses, green minibuses, public light buses and taxis.

Franchised Buses

The standard and capacity of franchised bus services continued to improve through effective planning and co-ordination. Until August there were three franchised bus operators, but in September a fourth franchised company began operation. Together these companies carried 3.4 million passenger boardings daily on a network of 412 regular routes.

The largest bus operator is the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (KMB), which ran 249 bus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories in addition to 28 cross-harbour routes operated jointly with the China Motor Bus Company (CMB) and two cross-harbour routes of its own. KMB also operates 'Airbus' services to and from the airport, comprising two routes to Hong Kong Island and one within Kowloon.

The KMB fleet at the end of the year comprised 3 037 registered vehicles, including 2 803 double-deckers and 234 single-deckers of various types ranging from small 24 seaters to full-size coaches for airport and express duties. The company further expanded its air-conditioned fleet, and by the end of the year this included 231 single-deckers and 116 double-deckers which were together deployed on 55 routes. During the year 39 new routes were introduced, and 11 routes were withdrawn. In 1991, KMB carried 973 million passengers and operated 217 million vehicle-kilometres, compared with 966 million passengers and 195.3 million vehicle-kilometres in 1990. The Kowloon Motor Bus Company's franchise extends until August 31, 1997. Fares ranged from $1.4 to $15.

A notable development during the year was the provision of seven new air-conditioned bus services variously from Kowloon, Ma On Shan, Tai Po and Tsing Yi to Central district on Hong Kong Island. These routes were designed to attract morning peak commuters who might otherwise have used and overloaded the busy section of the Mass Transit Railway along Nathan Road. The first of these routes began operation in May and was operated by KMB alone, but CMB was also participating in the operation when additional routes began from June onwards.

Bus services on Hong Kong Island are provided by the China Motor Bus Company, which operated 94 Island routes and, jointly with KMB, 28 cross-harbour routes. At the end of 1991, the CMB's fleet comprised 1 000 double-deckers and 20 single-deckers. These vehicles carried 266 million passengers and travelled 52 million vehicle-kilometres during the year compared with 287 million and 51.7 million respectively in 1990. The company continued to improve its fleet during the year with the acquisition of 29 air-conditioned double-deckers and 16 air-conditioned single-deckers. The company's franchise extends until August 31, 1993. Fares ranged from $1.6 to $15.

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