Public Transportation in Hong Kong

I am on vacation for the longest amount of time ever: two and a half weeks. I return to Hong Kong annually to visit my parents, who have been residing in this Asian metropolis for the past 17 years. It is the natural efficiency of Hong Kong which I benchmark American standards to.

For transportation, it does not fail. Having traveled throughout Europe, I have not encountered a more efficient system, mostly due to the small size of the city it serves, and being a former British colony, it has learned from previous mistakes from the London tube. With the high density of its population on limited land as a resource, it makes sense to not own a car here, and hence of the high ridership volume. Even the subway cars are efficient: one can move from one of the train to the other, and seats are located to the sides of the cars only to allow for maximum standing room. One can travel within the city in half an hour, and from one end of the city to another in a couple hours via public transport. Because of the fast paced society, one never waits longer than 10 minutes for a bus, or 5 minutes for a train.

Transportation in Hong Kong consists of the MTR, an acronym standing for Mass Transit Railway [original, huh?] and the KCR, standing for the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Simply put, the MTR is the equivalent of the T system and the KCR is the equivalent of the commuter rail system. Double decker buses, minibuses [and maxicabs, the same bus shape but serving different areas] and taxicabs supplement this incredible transportation system. Unlike the T, payment is made on a per-trip basis for distance traveled, using the Octopus Card, proximity stored value cards with dollars purchased at convenience stores around the city and at subway stations. These dollars can be used on any form of public transportation, with the exception of taxicabs, and can also be used at convenience stores and restaurants.

Since I have left Hong Kong 13 years ago, improvements have been continually made on the transportation systems. The lines are no longer the same. Glazing has been installed at all platforms to prevent people from falling onto the tracks. Ticker screens have been installed to show how long the wait is for the next train. Everything is automated via computer, including the stop announcements in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. The ride is so smooth -- I recall going out with a friend, and she was finishing off her mascara during the subway ride.

More information can be found here:
Mass Transit Railway
Kowloon-Canton Railway
Complete Map of the MTR-KCR System
Kowloon Motor Bus
CityBus
Octopus Card

I love the public transportation system of Hong Kong!