New bridge to Macau and Zhuhai will be to Hong Kong ferries what new MTR lines were to bus services

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A Turbojet ferry heads out of Victoria Harbour in June 2015. Ferry services will have to compete harder for passengers once the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge opens in late 2018. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:34pm, 4 Sep 2018Updated: 5:33pm, 4 Sep 2018

I am writing in response to the report, “New bridge to start battle between coaches and ferries to Macau and Zhuhai” (September 2).

This 55km mega bridge will open to traffic before the end of the year, connecting three popular destinations in the Pearl River Delta, of interest to both tourists and business travellers. It will offer a smart transport choice, via 24/7 coach services. The availability of this convenient and cheap option for crossing the estuary will affect ferry companies the most.

But this is not the first time that new infrastructure has put pressure on Hong Kong’s existing transport operators. When the new West Island Line and South Island Line of the MTR opened, some in the transport industry were seriously affected.

With regard to South Island routes, bus No 629 had for years been carrying tourists and locals to Ocean Park for a day out. From around the time that the park opened, families would jump on the bus, as it ran a fast and direct route to the park. The buses were mostly full, by the end of the day, tourists and day trippers with their souvenirs were back on board again.

But with the opening of the South Island Line, passenger numbers have fallen, putting pressure on costs like fuel and the tunnel toll. Fewer passengers have seen this route reduced to a one-way trip, with only five departures each morning, and two related routes have been cancelled.

The bus firm set to lose a third of its passengers to high-speed rail

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