Transport in Hong Kong

Based on Hong Kong Government's Travel Characteristics Survey, over 90% of daily journeys are on public transport, the highest rate in the world.

[2] The Octopus card, a smart electronic money payment system, was introduced in September 1997 to provide an alternative to the traditional banknotes and coins.

Available for purchase in every stop of the Mass Transit Railway system, the Octopus card is a non-touch payment system which allows payment not only for public transport (such as trains, buses, trams, ferries and minibuses), but also at parking meters, convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants and most vending machines.

The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Hong Kong, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 73 min.

Eight of the lines provide general metro services, whereas the Airport Express provides a direct link from the Hong Kong International Airport into the city centre, and the Disneyland Resort Line exclusively takes passengers to and from Hong Kong Disneyland.

The trams provide service to only parts of Hong Kong Island: they run on a double track along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan, with a single clockwise-running track of about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) around Happy Valley Racecourse.

It later expanded into operating a residential bus route between City One, Sha Tin and Kowloon Tong MTR station.

Public light buses (小巴) (widely referred to as minibuses, or sometimes maxicabs, a de facto share taxi) run the length and breadth of Hong Kong, through areas which the standard bus lines can not or do not reach as frequently, quickly or directly.

As of March 2016[update], there were 18,138 taxis in Hong Kong, operating in three distinct (but slightly overlapping) geographical areas, and distinguished by their colour.

The reason for having three types of taxis is to ensure service availability in less populated regions, as running in the urban centre is considered to be more profitable.

Due to high urban density, there are not many filling stations; petrol in Hong Kong averages around US$2.04 per litre, of which over half the cost is taxes.

[20] Motorcycles by the private users in Hong Kong urban districts are not as popular as in South East Asian countries like Vietnam.

A large number of buses leave various parts of Hong Kong (usually from side streets and hotel entrances) to various cities in the Pearl River Delta, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

These compact electric vehicles serve as an efficient mode of transport for short distances and are a unique sight on the island's narrow pathways.

As of September 2003[update], there were 27 regular licensed passenger ferry services operated by 11 licensees, serving outlying islands, new towns and inner-Victoria Harbour.

[22] HKG is an important regional transhipment centre, passenger hub, and gateway for destinations in mainland China and the rest of Asia.

[32] An average of 220,000 ships visit the harbour each year, including both oceanliners and river vessels, carrying both goods and passengers.

Ferry services link the airport with several piers in Pearl River Delta, where immigrations and customs are exempted.

HKIA's network to China expanded with the opening of SkyPier in late-September 2003, offering millions in the PRD direct access to the airport.

There are also a number of helipads across the territory, including the roof of the Peninsula Hotel (which is the only rooftop helipad in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, excluding the rooftop heliport of Shun Tak Centre and those in hospitals) and Cheung Chau Island, between Tung Wan Beach and Kwun Yam Beach.

There are 120 CCTV cameras monitoring traffic on these highways and connecting roads which are available on-demand (Now TV) and on the Transport Department's website.

Other road tunnels and bridges which are proposed or under construction are: There are approximately 22 km of bus priority lanes in Hong Kong.

[39] Notable examples include: Bike path exists across Hong Kong, mostly in newly developed residential areas in New Territories.

Hong Kong Island is dominated by steep, hilly terrain, which required the development of unusual methods of transport up and down the slopes.

Also in Sai Ying Pun are small escalators between First and Second Streets, in an uphill plaza that forms a giant hole through the Island Crest building.

Example includes: During the 2019–2020 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, 60 kilometres (37 mi) of pavement railings were damaged by the demonstrators.

[46] Many of the railings prevent pedestrians from walking in a straight line along major roads by prohibiting direct crossing of perpendicular side streets.

and other pavement-fence critics argue the barriers are emblematic of the way Hong Kong streets are built to prioritise vehicles over pedestrians.

The Transport and Highways departments say the railings are critical “to regulate and guide pedestrians for road safety and traffic management purposes.”[50] Hong Kong's high population density makes pedestrian mobility complicated and the railings offer a clear distinction between the automobiles and walkers.

[46] Nonprofit groups like Walk DVRC, in conjunction with Zimmerman, have worked to remove some of the guardrails but the city believes they are necessary.