MY family moved to Junk Bay recently, hoping the MTR will be built there by the year 2001. However, it is a long wait for white-collar commuters like me who work in Central. Currently there are two bus routes going to Central via the Eastern Harbour Tunnel - one runs each day, the other only on weekdays.
Travelling between North Point and Central in the rush-hours, because of congestion and numerous stops along King's Road and Hennessy Road is time consuming. It takes about 70 minutes to get from Junk Bay to Central. Most of the passengers on the 690 or 691, get off at North Point, Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. After Wan Chai, there are few passengers left.
Many Junk Bay residents who work in Admiralty and Central are scared off by such lengthy travel and prefer to change to the MTR in Lam Tin or Kwun Tong. The Transport Department should seriously consider allowing KMB or Citybus to run a special service that travels along the whole section of the Eastern Corridor and Gloucester Road, in order to take workers in the most direct way to Central.
Because this would save white collar workers the trouble of changing to the MTR at Lam Tin, it would prove popular and would relieve pressure at the Quarry Bay interchange.
I appreciate that the same buses making the return journey back to Junk Bay would not get the same number of passengers, but the bus company could compensate for this by charging what amounts to a virtual return fare and this would make up its losses.
If the air-conditioned 690 charges $13, then this new service could charge up to $18.