Hong Kong tram operator gets right on track, sharing real-time data on Citymapper app

Hong Kong Tramways is teaming up with popular transport app ­Citymapper, sharing free real-time operational data in a bid to lure more passengers to the city’s oldest transport service.

It’s one of a series of upgrades the tram operator is planning to roll out this year.

Next month, it will launch a new schedule that will reduce passenger waiting times by four per cent on weekdays, seven per cent on Saturdays, and 10 per cent on Sundays, according to managing director Emmanuel Vivant.

Once the new schedule is in place, the operator is looking to develop internal software – in collaboration with Chinese University – to dispatch trams to match the schedule as punctually as ­possible. “The plan is using the same resources but in an efficient way,” Vivant said.

The link-up with Citymapper comes as the tram operator tries to win back passengers amid stiff competition from rail operator MTR on overlapping routes.

Citymapper, which landed in Hong Kong last August, combines information from major public transport operators to help users get to their destinations as fast as possible with best routes, push-up alerts and real-time updates.