Hong Kong’s public transportation system is ranked the third best globally, according to William Russell’s Global Transport Index, which surveyed 15 major cities across the world.
The SAR’s comprehensive public transport network — which includes trains, trams, buses, ferries, light rail, and taxis — scored 8.82 on the index, which takes into account average public transport cost, transport options, public transport stops, and the number of electric vehicles and eco-friendly transport options.
The city with the world’s best public transport options is Paris, which scored a 10 on the index, followed by Stockholm (9.41). The only other Asian city to make it to the list is Singapore, which scored 4.12.
Hong Kong also has the distinction of having the most electric vehicles per 100,00 people — 58,754 . However, the survey also noted that the SAR does not have e-scooter schemes or shared bikes, and has strict laws about the use of e-scooters on carriageways, pavements, and cycle tracks.
The city also fares well in terms of affordability, with an average ticket cost of £1.22 (HK$12.11) placing it at No. 5 in the rankings, which is reasonable considering that the Hong Kong is one of the most expensive cities in the world.
However, the survey noted that while Hong Kong’s rail network is reliable and that it has a high number of buses operating in the city (1,767 per million people), there is no form of 24/7 public transport.
Buenos Aires emerged as the city with the cheapest fares at £0.12 (HK$1.19) per ticket, while New York City has the most shared bikes of all the cities surveyed — 25,247.
Stockholm, despite having the most expensive public transport at an average of £3.03 (HK$30.5) per ticket, scored well on the index overall because of its system’s accessibility and high number of electric vehicles.
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