(Highways Department, 1997)8
Since ancient times in China, the sedan chairs were very common. They were also very
popular in the major cities of Europe like Paris and London in the 18th Century. In Hong
Kong, there was a wide variety of sedan chairs with different sizes and ways of construction.
Some simple ones were just formed by two long bamboo poles with a seat slung in between.
There were also some luxurious examples with ornate decorations. They were so heavy that a
team of up to eight or even more bearers would be needed to carry them. Actually the degree
of magnificence directly reflected the social status of the owners or the passenger sitting
inside.
Rickshaws were comparatively more modern than sedan chairs. They were introduced from
Japan. A rickshaw was a vehicle of small size and light weighted. It could only take one
single passenger with a hood on top to give protection. The rickshaw was introduced into
China by an American missionary, Jonathan Goble, who responded to a plea from his wife
about the distressing conditions suffered by many of the sedan chair bearers. (Leeds, 1987)9
Therefore we can regard rickshaw as an improvement over traditional sedan chair.
It was not an easy task to carry a sedan chair or pull a rickshaw along the steep roads of Hong
Kong, especially under a hot weather. In the 19th Century, the average life expectancy in
Hong Kong was not long as compared with the current figures. It was even noticeably shorter
for bearers. However, there were continuously new recruits to the business as there were
plenty of new immigrants seeking opportunities in this city from the mainland. The situation
of using men as draught animals to carry the chair or pull the rickshaw lasted for a long time
until much efficient mechanized forms of transport became available later at the end of the
19th Century.
In 1898, there were 575 rickshaws on Hong Kong Island, 70 on Kowloon Peninsula and 25
serving Quarry Bay. There were also 570 sedan chairs on Hong Kong Island, 30 serving the
Peak but none on Kowloon Peninsula. (Leeds, 1987)10
9 Leeds, P. F. (1987). The Development of Public Transport in Hong Kong - An Historical Review. Government
Printer, Hong Kong.
11
2.3 Rail Transport
2.3.1 Peak Trams
Peak Tram was the first power driven land transport system in Hong Kong. The construction
began in 1885 and the system was opened to service in 1888. The tram cars were hauled by
cable to an altitude of nearly 400 metres above sea level with the largest gradient within the
alignment of 1 in 2. Before introducing the electrical winding gear in 1926, the old haulage
equipment was driven by steam.
Along with the opening of the trunk transport system from the low-lying area to the Victoria
Peak, “small roads were built from each of the tram stations” so that residents on the Peak
could reach their destinations more conveniently with the feeder services provided with sedan
chairs and rickshaws. As a result, “shelters were provided for the bearers and pullers” at some
stations. (Leeds, 1987)11
With the introduction of the Peak Tram operation, the transport service to the Peak became
much efficient. The Peak rapidly became a favourable residential area for the Westerners as
they could escape from the summer heat for living at such an altitude with an easy access to
the town.
Later in 1908, there was a proposal for the second Peak Tram running from Queen’s Road via
Robinson Road and Conduit Road to the Peak (i.e. the alignment of the current pedestrian
escalator). But it was being turned down with what is now called “Environmental Impact”.
The residents along the proposed alignments and the missionaries in the Cathedral nearby
worried very much about the potential noise upon operation of the Peak Tram. The
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12
alternative proposal running through the Botanic Garden was also rejected due to engineering
difficulties.
2.3.2 Trams
The tramway company started its operation in 1904. There were only 26 cars in the first fleet
of trams. They were all single-decked with one type designed for first class passengers and
the other for third class.(Arenz, 1998)12 The tram service was available along the North shore
of the Hong Kong Island, between Shau Kei Wan in the East and the Kennedy Town in the
West and also the inland Happy Valley in the middle way.
Later in 1912, there was expansion of the fleet with addition of new double decked cars and
conversion of one car into double decked ones. In 1918, there were 80 cars in the fleet. The
total patronage was eleven million with 2.1 million car kilometres ran. (Barnett, 1984)13
2.3.3 Railways
In order to build a line linking Kowloon and Canton and to facilitate the development of the
New Territories, the Hong Kong Government decided to implement the project of Kowloon-
Canton Railway in 1905. The line was divided into the Chinese Section in Guangdong side
and the British Section in the Hong Kong side.
The British section, also known as the Hong Kong Railway, was completed and opened to the
public on 1 October 1910. Initially, there were five stations along the main line from
Kowloon. They were Yau Ma Tei, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tai Po Market flag station and Fanling.
12 Arenz, B. (1998). Hong Kong Trams: A Close-up Guide. Pacific Century Publishers Ltd, Hong Kong.
13 Barnett, M. (1984). Tramlines – The Story of the Hong Kong Tramway System. South China Morning Post
Ltd., Hong Kong.
13
The through train services on Kowloon-Canton Railway running from Canton to Tsim Sha
Tsui, Kowloon was opened on 15 October 1911. However, this service was suspended on 14
October 1949 due to the liberation of Canton. Since then, Lo Wu became the terminus and
the railway served the community as a local railway rather than a cross boundary service.
(Philips, 1990)14 & (Tsang, 1986)15
Besides the main line service running along the coast of Tolo Harbour from Kowloon via
Fanling to Canton. There was also a branch line running from Fanling to Sha Tau Kok. This
branch line was of 11.67km and was opened on 1 April 1912. However, as there was lack of
passengers due to the opening of a new motor road to Sha Tau Kok in 1927, this branch line
ceased service on 1 April 1928. (Tsang, 1986)16
2.4 Waterborne Transport – Ferry Services
The need for internal waterborne transport services in Hong Kong evolved in the 1860’s
when the British took over the control of Kowloon Peninsula which was opposite to Hong
Kong Island with a harbour in between. Coastal districts like Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui and
Yau Ma Tei were all the earliest developed districts on the Kowloon Peninsula. Before the
road based transport links available in the 1970’s. Ferry service was the only transport mean
for commuting between the above districts with the commercial centre like Central on Hong
Kong Island.
14 Philips, R. J. (1990). Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section): A History. Urban Council, Hong Kong.
15 Tsang, C. C. G., Chan, S. S. P. & Chan, W. H. L. (1986). Hong Kong Railway Museum. Regional Council,
Hong Kong.
16 Ibid.
14
The first regular cross harbour ferry service was operated by a Parsee merchant, Mr. Dorabjee
Nowrojee in 1880. (Johnson, 1998)17 Later in 1898, the service between Central and Tsim
Sha Tsui was taken over by the Star Ferry. With the improved vessel capacity and efficiency,
the Star Ferry was being called the “Hong Kong’s First Mass Transport”. (Hutcheon, 1986)18
Before regular and well structured ferry services were available in early and middle 19th
Century, there were primitive ferry operations serving the need of crossing the harbour. Most
of the vessels were small and known as “walawala”. In those ages, “the operation of ferry
services was not regulated and services were provided under free competition.” (Ho, 1993)19
For example, in 1919, there were 16 ferry companies competing in the market between
Central and several districts of Kowloon Peninsula.
In 1923, the Government decided to regulate the ferry services by setting up the Ferry
Ordinance and implementing the franchise policy. The first franchise was granted to the Star
Ferry in 1898. Now the Tsim Sha Tsui routes of the company are still operating with the
franchises. Besides, tender was also called in the form of a package of popular routes. Finally,
the Hong Kong & Yau Ma Tei Ferry Company Limited was granted the franchise. This
company also had a long history of ferry operation for over 70 years.
2.5 Buses
The first motor bus service in Hong Kong appeared in the 1920’s. It was just several years
after the first motor car reached Hong Kong in 1915. (Highways Department, 2001) 20
17 Johnson, D. (1998). Star Ferry - The Story of a Hong Kong Icon. The "Star" Ferry Company Limited, Hong
Kong.
18 Hutcheon, R. (1986). Wharf - the First Hundred Year. The Wharf (Holdings) Limited, Hong Kong.
19 Ho, D. (1993). Ferry Management. pp. 195-205. In Wang, L. H. and Yeh, A. G. O. (eds.) Keep A City Moving
- Urban Transport Management in Hong Kong. Asian Productivity Organization, Tokyo.
20 Highways Department (2001). Hong Kong Highways and Railways. Government Printer, Hong Kong.
15
However, the records and information on the bus companies operating then were very hard to
be traced because there were many extinct companies in that age. The operations then were of
small scale with various companies until 1930’s.
In September 1932, “tenders were invited for the operation of bus services covering the
whole Colony or the island of Hong Kong, or Kowloon plus the New Territories, for a period
of fifteen years from 11th June 1933.” (Leeds, 1987)21 The tender results for the bus services
were released in January 1933. China Motor Bus Company, which had previously operated in
Kowloon, got the 18 routes serving Hong Kong Island. Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933)
Ltd. got the 18 routes for Kowloon and the New Territories. Later there was a series of
mergers and take-overs of the other smaller companies. Since then, these two companies
became the only companies operating franchised bus services in Hong Kong until 1990’s.
The new services started in 1933 with 59 buses on Hong Kong Island and 115 on the
mainland. Afterwards, the number did not grow up very rapidly with even a slight decrease in
Kowloon and the New Territories. By 1937, there were 88 buses on Hong Kong Island and
111 in Kowloon and the New Territories. However, in 1938 and 1939, there were large
amount of war refugees from Mainland China, resulting an increase in the number of buses to
respond to the increasing demand. In 1939, there were 109 buses on Hong Kong Island and
136 buses in Kowloon and the New Territories. (Leeds, 1987)22
