Hip Fig Travel Channel offers Travel Video Guides for more than 20 cities in
Asia, US , and Canada. If you like our travel videos subscribe to this channel
to see more. Welcome to Hipfig's Video Guide Series on Hong Kong. In this video
we'll be showing you the various modes of transportation in Hong Kong including
the MTR buses, the ding-ding (Trams), Star Ferry, and taxis.
The MTR or the subway is the
fastest and an economical and easy way to get around Hong Kong. You can
recognize subway stations' entrances and exits by the red logo with the spider
looking symbol. All signs are in English and in Chinese. Announcements in the MTR
station are in English and in Cantonese and Mandarin. You can purchase your
single journey ticket at any vending machine at any MTR station. A single
journey ticket is a one-way ride to a pre-selected destination on the day of
purchase. The fare is based on the distance traveled. An easier, efficient
and faster way to pay for fares is a reloadable Octopus card. The Octopus card
is a reusable stored valued card for making electronic payments in Hong Kong
You can buy a reloadable Octopus card at any MTR station or convenience stores
like 7-11. To use your Octopus card at MTR stations, tap your Octopus card
over the fare deducting reader when you enter and exit at any MTR station. If you
have a single journey ticket insert your ticket. There is also a discount on fares
for using Octopus cards over a single journey ticket. You can purchase Octopus
cards with the $50 HKD refundable deposit with different
amounts of stored value in $50 HKD increments. The cost is discounted
for children and seniors. You can get your deposit back when you return your
card to an any customer service counter. For more information about the
Octopus card visit their website or go to the hipfig link below in the
description. At each MTR station platform and on trains, you will find
route maps and signs for the exit in English and in Chinese. Once you find
your platform, wait in the queue until the trains arrive. Let passengers off
first then go into the train. If there are no seats, stand somewhere so that you
can see the trains progress on the route map located near each door. Please be
aware of your things and kids as the trains can get very crowded during peak
hours. The MTR has 12 lines and the Airport Express trains. Most attractions
are along 3 MTR lines: the Tsuen Wan or red MTR subway line, the Island line also
known as the blue line, and the Tung Chung line also known as the orange line.
The Tsuen Wan or red MTR subway line is used to travel around the Kowloon side
and connects to the Hong Kong Island side at Central and Admiralty stations
It travels between Central, Tsim Tsa Tsui, Jordan, Mong Kok, and Tsuen Wan .
Major stops on the red line are Tsim Tsau Tsui station where you can reach the
Peninsula hotel or the Avenue of the Stars. The Island line or the blue line
is the main line to use on the Hong Kong Island side. It travels between Kennedy
Town station through Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay all the way to Chai Wan.
Central Station, Admiralty station, and Causeway Bay station are
popular stops on this island line. The third line is the Tung Chung line or the
orange line which starts at Hong Kong station and goes through Kowloon and
Sunny Bay station and ends in Tung Chung station. Take this
line to the Big Buddha and Ngong Ping 360. At Sunny Bay Transfer to the
Resort line or pink line for Disneyland. The newest line is the South Island line
which starts from Admiralty station and goes to Ocean Park station all the way
to South Horizon stop. Use this line to get to Ocean Park.
Please be aware that MTR stations do not have restrooms, no food or drink is
allowed on MTR trains, with the exception of Airport Express- large luggage is not
allowed on MTR trains.
Please make a note that from each station there can be many exits which
can be confusing to find the right exit for your destination. If you're not sure of
your exit , look for the exit signs and neighborhood map indicating which exit
to take after you exit the platform area. If you need assistance, ask at the manned
booth located at the MTR entry/exit gates . Not all exits and entrances have
elevators or escalators and will require you to take stairs.
Hong Kong Buses
Buses in Hong Kong are an easy method of getting around town. They are frequent,
inexpensive, comfortable, and most are air-conditioned, and go everywhere in
Hong Kong. In Hong Kong private companies run public bus service
There are five major bus companies the Kowloon motor bus company (KMB), the City
bus company, the New World first bus company, and the Long Win bus company
and the New Lantau bus company. The Kowloon Motor Company or KMB provides
service mainly in the Kowloon area and in the new territories. You have a few
routes operating cross harbour to the Hong Kong Island side. KMB has over 400
routes in Hong Kong. City bus operates mainly on the Hong
Kong Island side, Bus Number 15 goes to Victoria Peak from Central Station. New
world bus company provides bus service mainly on the Hong Kong Island side and
also has routes in Kowloon and the New Territories. You can pay for fares with
exact change or with an Octopus card
Destinations and bus numbers are displayed in English and Chinese on
front of each bus. Bus stops clearly display the bus numbers and the route
maps encased in a plastic box. Once at your bus stop, wait in line and enter
from the front. Pay with exact change or tap your Octopus card if you have one
Prices are displayed on the fare box. If you're going a short distance make
sure to ride a bus that ends at your destination or nearby otherwise you'll
end up paying more because fares are based on the end destination. The
majority of bus fare rates are based on where you board to the last stop of the
bus route and not where you get off. Bus rides themselves can be an experience
especially on the top in the front row of a double-decker bus coming from
places like Stanley or Victoria Peak. Pay attention for your stop on the screen in
the bus. To exit your bus make sure to press the red button to tell the driver
to stop before your destination. Exit from the back. Another kind of bus in
Hong Kong are mini buses or public light buses. Mini buses are small buses run by
independent operators . They usually have a capacity of up to 16 passengers and no
standing passengers are allowed. there are two types of mini buses: green and
red topped. The green colored top mini buses run a fixed route at fixed prices
You can pay by exact change or with an Octopus card
Red-colored minibuses do not have fixed routes, schedules, or fares and passengers
can get off and on anywhere along the route . They are more like a shared taxi. You
can pay by exact change but only a few accept Octopus cards. The buses are
slightly more expensive but they tend to be faster and more efficient since they
operate on diverse routes. Another convenieniet bus option for tours are the hop on hop
off buses by Big Bus. Big Bus operates three routes in Hong Kong. You'll also
see Panda buses on the Kowloon side These are for tourists from Japan and
tickets must be purchased in Japan before arrival. Another transportation
option in Hong Kong are the Hong Kong tramways or ding-dings. Hong Kong
Tramways also known as ding-dings was founded in 1904. Currently there's
163 tram cars including two antique trams. Hong Kong Trams operate only on
the Hong Kong Island side. The trams or ding-dings are cheap and easy option to
get around Hong Kong. These double-decker trams are one of the oldest forms of
transport in Hong Kong. The Trams are called ding-dings because of the
constant noisy ding ding noise they make along their route.
You can pay your fare in exact change or tap your Octopus card. Passengers should board from the back
and exit from the front of the tram. You pay when you exit from the front of the
tram next to the driver. Children under 12 are charged half fare and children
below the age of 3 are free with an adult if they're not occupying a seat.
The Hong Kong Tram is a total of 13 kilometers. It goes from Kennedy town on
the west to Shau Kei Wan in the East with over a hundred stops. It has six routes
which mostly overlap. Visitors will find these routes most helpful: the
Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan is the main line which goes all the way across Hong Kong
Island. The Shek Tong Sui to North point is a shorter route of the main line
starting at Shek Tong Tsui to North Point, the
Kennedy Town to Happy Valley- overlaps the main line from Kennedy town to
Causeway Bay and then loops around Happy Valley Stadium which is the horse racing
area. Then you have the Happy Valley to Shau Kei Wan which overlaps from
Causeway Bay all the way to Shau Kei Wan. My favorite way to get around Hong Kong
is the Star Ferry. The Star Ferry is a commuter and tour ferry service in Hong
Kong . I's a fun and inexpensive way to spend time in the water and go across
the harbour. The Star Ferry links Tsim-sha-tsui on the Kowloon side with
Central and Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island side. It's about a 15 minute ride
on the Star Ferry across the harbour. To get to the ferry on the Kowloon side
from Tsim TsauTsui MTR station, take exit L6 and walk to the clock tower along
Salisbury Road to the Star Ferry Pier and follow the signs to get to the ferry.
On the Hong Kong Island side at Wan Chai, from Wan Chai MTR station take exit
A1. Take the Skybridge to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center and walk to the Ferry.
To get to the ferry on the Hong Kong Island side at Central, from Hong
Kong MTR station- take exit A2 or from the MTR Central Station and take Exit A and walk
to the pier along Man Yiu street to the Central Pier. There are also other many
other companies at Central Ferry Piers which you can take to outlying islands
like Lantau, Lamma, and Park Island. You can pay with exact change or with an Octopus
card. A convenient way to get around Hong Kong are taxicabs. Taxis in Hong Kong are
color coded according to their operating areas. You can find taxi cabs in
abundance throughout Hong Kong. All taxis in Hong Kong are metered, air-conditioned,
and clean. Red coloured taxis are urban taxis which serve all destinations
throughout Hong Kong including the airport except Tung Chung road and roads
in South Lantau - this is probably the color taxi you will use most. Taxis are
easily hailed along the street except in certain restricted areas. In peak hours
you might see taxi cues in front of hotels or taxi stands. Taxis are required
to use the taxi meter.
Happy Travels
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