A Scenic Way to Get Around Hong Kong

 

Could a hop on, hop off ferry service work on the water in Hong Kong?

The Hong Kong Transport Department has a novel way for people to get around the city -- by the water.

It's proposing a circular ferry route that would have at least five stops: Kai Tak, Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Central and West Kowloon, and it would start service next September.

"The... service aims to respond to suggestions from the community to introduce the 'water taxi' service between different calling points along the waterfront of Victoria Harbour to bring vibrancy to the harbour," the department said in its tendering document, inviting interested bidders.

The Transport Department proposes five piers to stop at

It seems to be pitched as a hop on, hop off service akin to a touring bus rather than a "water taxi" per se,

The 25km circular route would operate between 7am and 11pm on Monday to Saturday, and 8am to 10pm on Sundays and public holidays. The entire journey should not take more than 110 minutes.

Passengers would be able to buy round-trip tickets or half-day tickets and embark and disembark at any stop.

Meanwhile the bidders need to be able to ferry up to 150 passengers at a time, with views on both sides of the vessel. They can also propose other stops other than the five proposed.

Lawmaker Yiu Si-wing who represents the tourism sector, says the proposal looks more like a tour bus than a taxi.

"People expect fast and point-to-point transport from a taxi," Yiu said. "Here the 'water taxi' concept is a little bit confusing. It's more like a tourism project than public transport."

The ferry service would be another way to get around HK

We have to agree, but if you are taking a boat, you aren't going to be in that much of a hurry, are you? Many of the piers are already in out-of-the-way places, so people taking these services are not necessarily rushing. They look at it as another way to get around.

Maybe going from stop to stop will be tedious, but what better way to get around in a leisurely way without having to deal with traffic jams on the road?

Yiu also says having so many piers to maintain will be costly and that may be the case, but tourists would definitely enjoy this service, as the Central to Tsim Sha Tsui route is so short -- a 25km route would be a nice way to spend some time looking at Hong Kong from the water.

I hope the proposal does materialize -- surely not only tourists but residents would use the service too. And there's nothing wrong with tweaking it once it starts. The service at least deserves a chance.