ENG-1993 — Page 293

TRANSPORT

Trams

Electric trams have been operating on Hong Kong Island since 1904. Hongkong Tramways Limited has six overlapping services, using 13 kilometres of double track along the north shore of Hong Kong Island, between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, and nearly three kilometres of single track around Happy Valley. The 163 trams, including two open-balcony trams for tourists and private hire, make up the only fully double-decker tram fleet in the world. All of the original trams had been rebuilt by 1991. Tramway patronage rose marginally during 1993, with an average of 340 000 boardings daily. Fares remained at $1 for adults and $0.50 for children.

Funicular Rail

Hong Kong's other 'tramway' is a cable-hauled funicular railway, operated by the Peak Tramways Company Limited from Central to The Peak. The 1.4-kilometre line began operation in 1888 and climbs 373 metres on gradients as steep as one-in-two. The line was modernised in 1989. The service caters largely for sightseers but also serves Peak district commuters. The line serves an average of 9 000 passengers a day. One-way fares for adults and children were $10 and $4, respectively.

Road Passenger Transport

Road passenger transport accounted for two-thirds of all public transport journeys. Over half of the journeys made by road were on franchised buses, with the remainder handled by green minibuses, public light buses, taxis and non-franchised buses.

Franchised Buses

The standard and capacity of franchised bus services continued to improve through planning and co-ordination. There are four franchised bus companies, which together carried 3.4 million passengers daily on a network of 469 regular routes.

The largest operator is the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB), which ran 299 bus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories; 38 cross-harbour routes jointly with the China Motor Bus Company; two cross harbour routes with Citybus Limited and three cross harbour routes of its own. As a continuing effort to improve service quality, KMB has introduced 11 air-conditioned bus routes. KMB also operates 'Airbus' services to and from the airport, comprising three routes to Hong Kong Island and two within Kowloon.

The KMB fleet at the end of the year comprised 3 197 registered vehicles, with 2 579 double-decker conventional buses, and 312 and 306 air-conditioned double and single- decker buses, respectively. Each can seat between 24 and 164 passengers. In 1993, KMB made 966 million passenger trips and operated 243 million kilometres, compared with 970 million passenger trips and 234 million kilometres in 1992. KMB's current franchise extends until August 31, 1997. Fares ranged from $1.00 to $23.00 for non air- conditioned services, and from $2.20 to $25.50 for air-conditioned services.

To attract commuters who might otherwise have used and overloaded the section of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) along Nathan Road, a total of 29 air-conditioned 'Nathan' bus routes were operated during the year, from the New Territories and North Kowloon to Hong Kong Island and South Kowloon. These services helped keep the MTR passenger flows along Nathan Road at acceptable and safe levels.

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