“We will also review the position of the terminal in the development plan of the Kai Tak area, and what areas need to be improved in the long run.”

The government would convene meetings to better prepare for the arrival of the cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas on August 19, Yeung added.

Following complaints after hundreds of cruise passengers were forced to wait in long queues for transport over the weekend, authorities announced on Tuesday night that they would provide three free shuttle bus routes to key tourist destinations and give cabbies a HK$50 (US$6) coupon to top up their tanks.

A free public bus route, 22R, which runs every six to eight minutes and only operates around arrival and departure times, was also added to carry passengers from the terminal to Kai Tak MTR station.

The shuttle bus services aim to carry 500 people, while the public bus is expected to have a ridership of 2,100.

At around 9am, hundreds of passengers, both visitors and locals, disembarked from cruise ship Resorts World One and swarmed the terminal, after a four-day trip to Kaohsiung and Penghu in Taiwan.

Worldwide Cruise Terminals, the facility’s operator, and bus firm Citybus sent staff to help guide passengers and advise on transport arrangements.

Most locals chose to take buses and taxis to return home, while visitors mostly opted for the free shuttle to key tourist destinations.

Teresa Yang, a tourist from Taiwan who was queuing up for a shuttle bus to Kwun Tong with her family, said instructions were unclear.

“We did not know that a free bus was offered, and staff on the cruise did not brief us. We would have queued for the bus instead of the free shuttle,” said the 50-year-old teacher who planned to go to Central via MTR, after taking the shuttle to Kwun Tong.

Hong Kong to offer perks for taxis, shuttle buses to pick up tourists at Kai Tak

“We just missed the first round of the shuttle bus and now we don’t know how long the waiting time is.”

The three shuttle bus routes cover: the Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, the West Kowloon Cultural District arts hub and Kowloon MTR station; Admiralty MTR station and the Peak Tram terminus on Garden Road in Central; and Mong Kok.

Locals were largely happy with the new arrangements, saying the free bus to Kai Tak offered greater convenience.

Retiree Jo Lee, who was with her husband, said the experience was much better than on their last trip in June.

“Last time we queued more than 30 minutes for a cab to go home, but this time we can take a free bus ride … it’s far more convenient,” she said.

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Joyce Ho, a Hongkonger in her 50s, also praised the new arrangements, as she chose to take the new 22R route.

“I took a cab to the terminal from Mong Kok on the departure day and it cost me HK$60, but I had no choice because there weren’t enough buses,” she said.

Commissioner for Tourism Vivian Sum Fong-kwang said the 22R service and three shuttle bus routes had carried 400 passengers in total as of 10.30am.

Despite the petrol coupon, most taxi drivers were unimpressed by the offer and did not come for the freebie.

Bobby Leung, a 30-year-old cabby who dropped off a passenger at the terminal, said he might not join the taxi rank.

“The HK$50 means one-third or half of my daily expense for petrol, but I can earn a lot more from car-hailing orders, and this is the peak hour, so I will play it by ear first,” he said. “I rarely come here to pick up passengers, this is not a convenient location.”

Another taxi driver, named Chow, also said the HK$50 coupon was not attractive enough, but he had joined the queue as he had just been to a petrol station nearby.

“It’s not worth it, because I don’t know where the passengers are going, and how long I need to wait in line. If I queued for an hour and only made HK$50, it’s not a good deal at all,” Chow, in his 60s, said.

Nevertheless, the queue at the taxi rank also disappeared on Wednesday, with each passenger needing to wait less than 10 minutes for a cab.

As of 10.30am, the terminal operator had distributed more than 280 coupons to cabbies.

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Chau Kwok-keung, chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, told a radio programme the new public and shuttle bus routes would reduce demand for cabs.

“A shuttle bus can carry up to 100 passengers from the terminal, and with the new bus routes fewer passengers will want to take taxis,” he said.

“With only one to two cruise ships a week, the demand at the cruise terminal fluctuates too much and there is no certainty. The government needs to revive the whole area to create a constant flow of customers.”

Chau said that about 20 taxis had made their way to the terminal on Wednesday morning at his request but he added that it was difficult to incentivise drivers to enter the quiet area during morning peak hours when demand was higher elsewhere.

The terminal’s operator had also created a WhatsApp group to tell drivers when passengers were arriving and how many were queuing, Chau said.

Resorts World One is one of only two ships to dock at the cruise terminal for the rest of the month, with Spectrum of the Seas making a single visit on August 19 before returning on September 23. Resorts World One will use the facility for the remaining Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays of the month.