ENG-1995 — Page 287

TRANSPORT

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 operations 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 residents. The line serves an average of 11 000 passengers a day. One-way fares for adults and children were $14 and $4, respectively.

Ferries

Ferries are essential for travelling to Hong Kong's outlying islands and provide important links to the new towns in the north-western New Territories. In the inner harbour, they are a supplementary mode of transport to cross-harbour buses and the Mass Transit Railway. Services are provided largely by two franchised operators the Star Ferry Company Limited and the Hongkong & Yaumati Ferry Company Limited (HYF).

The Star Ferry operated 12 vessels across the harbour and, during the year, carried 94 679 passengers daily on its three routes. Fares ranged from $1.40 to $2. Passengers aged 65 and above can enjoy free travel on all Star Ferry services.

HYF owned 80 vessels and operated 24 ferry routes, including daily passenger and vehicular services and chartered services. In 1995, the company carried 95 000 passengers and 1 200 vehicles daily. Fares ranged from $3.80 to $26.50. Passengers aged 65 or above can enjoy concessionary fares, set at the same level as children's fares, on all ferry services except the deluxe class.

A further 11 other ferry services were operated by seven licensed operators, including the service to Discovery Bay on Lantau. These were supplemented by kaitos, or local village ferry services, which were licensed to serve remote coastal settlements. At the end of the year, 86 kaitos were in operation.

Road Passenger Transport

Road passenger transport accounted for two-thirds of all public transport journeys. More than half the public transport journeys made on the road were on franchised buses, and the rest on public and private light buses, taxis and non-franchised buses.

Franchised Buses

The standard and capacity of franchised bus services continued to improve through effective planning and co-ordination. The four franchised bus companies together carried 3.51 million passengers daily on a network of 501 routes in 1995.

The largest operator is the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB). It ran 302 bus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories; 37 cross-harbour routes jointly with the China Motor Bus Company (CMB); eight cross-harbour routes with Citybus Limited and seven cross-harbour routes of its own. 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 3 507 registered vehicles, with 2 532 double-decker conventional buses, and 667 and 308 air-conditioned double and single-decker buses, respectively. In 1995, KMB made 996 million passenger trips and

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