Latest news with #SouthboundTravelforGuangdongVehicles
RTHK
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- RTHK
'Expand cross-boundary travel scheme if smooth'
'Expand cross-boundary travel scheme if smooth' CY Leung said that while the starting quota is small for the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme, it represents significant progress. File photo: RTHK Former Chief Executive CY Leung said on Sunday that authorities should consider expanding a new cross-boundary travel scheme if its initial implementation proves successful. By the end of the year, mainland motorists will be able to apply for the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme. Up to 100 vehicles per day will be permitted to access Hong Kong's urban areas. Speaking on a TVB programme, Leung, who is a vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said while the starting quota is small, it represents significant progress. "We can observe the situation. We can review it a few weeks after implementation. If it works, we can then allow more vehicles," he said. "At the same time, I think we should also consider whether, in addition to allowing 100 vehicles into the urban areas, we could allow another batch of vehicles to move around Lantau Island, but that they would not be permitted to cross the Tsing Ma Bridge? "After all, Lantau has more space. I believe this would further leverage the integration role of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge." Leung also said differing holiday schedules between Hong Kong and the mainland present an opportunity. With Hong Kong's market often quieter during holiday periods, more Guangdong vehicles could potentially be accommodated under the scheme. Meanwhile, participants in both the southbound and northbound travel schemes can only cross the border via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge at the moment. Looking ahead, Leung suggested authorities consider opening other land ports and implementing a "co-location arrangement", which would allow travellers to complete customs and immigration procedures for both Hong Kong and the mainland at a single checkpoint.
RTHK
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- RTHK
'Southbound car scheme is a chance to boost economy'
'Southbound car scheme is a chance to boost economy' Mable Chan highlighted the Airport Authority's dedicated car park as a model for businesses. Photo courtesy of Commercial Radio Transport Secretary Mable Chan on Sunday called on local businesses to prepare for November's Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme, saying it could boost tourism. Under the scheme, certain drivers from Guangdong will be able to park at automated car parks near the airport while connecting to their flights. Each day, up to a hundred vehicles will be allowed into the urban areas. During a radio programme, Chan highlighted the Airport Authority's car park as a good template for businesses that might want to create similar spaces where visitors can shop, eat, and stay. "When we drive in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, they have so-called 'bed and breakfast'. We can park our cars for the night and get dinner and breakfast the next day before heading to our next location," she said. "When we go to Japan, which is frequented by many Hong Kong people, it is called 'one night lodging and two meals', which is actually the same concept, so the Airport Authority's 'Park and Fly' car park is a kind of show flat." Chan also emphasised the importance of seamless technology so mainland drivers wouldn't have any trouble with payments. "The first step is to arrange some vehicle recognition systems. That is, the driver does not need to stretch out his hand to scan the card whether you are sitting on the right or left side," she said. "The vehicle recognition system can already recognise the license plate in front of the car. This is important." Chan said that Hong Kong already supported multiple electronic payment options.
RTHK
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- RTHK
Fine tune details for southbound car scheme: lawmakers
Fine tune details for southbound car scheme: lawmakers From as early as November, motorists across the border can apply for the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme. File photo: RTHK Lawmakers on Saturday urged the government to focus on the finer details of an incoming scheme that will allow cars from Guangdong to drive into Hong Kong. From as early as November, motorists across the border can apply for the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme. Drivers can park their vehicles at the airport with 100 cars per day allowed access to urban areas in the initial phase. Transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick says he believes the city can handle more vehicles heading south but that he thinks the administration still has work to do. "There are quite a number of details that need to be clarified. Let's say, how drivers are going to settle the toll fees," Yick said after a radio programme. "And also, a lot of people are concerned about the driving behaviour... The government should do something to alert or educate those potential drivers coming down to Hong Kong." Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien also said that there might be differences in driving cultures. "There are many subtle nuances that are different. But as time progresses, the gap will narrow," Tien said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan has said the scheme's implementation is one of her bureau's main tasks this year. "We will closely monitor the scheme's implementation and consider further opening up more places based on the experiences and feedback from all parties," she wrote on her official blog.
HKFP
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- HKFP
Guangdong vehicles to be allowed in Hong Kong's urban areas from Nov, starting with daily quota of 100
Guangdong vehicles will be allowed to drive into Hong Kong's urban areas from November, the transport and logistics minister Mable Chan has announced. The government will initially offer a quota of 100 vehicles a day for cars arriving via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge as part of the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme, Chan said at a press conference on Wednesday. The vehicles' drivers must have valid licenses, and the vehicles must undergo examinations before being permitted on Hong Kong roads, Chan said. Drivers will also need to apply in advance for the dates they wish to drive in the city, Chan added. Regarding the daily quota of 100 vehicles, Chan said authorities would monitor 'society's reaction' and 'the user experience' before gradually increasing the number. 'Although we are starting small, we would like to make an early head-start so that we have a firm and useful basis for us to advance quicker and on a larger scale,' Chan added in Cantonese. The minister said authorities are considering allowing vehicles to stay for around three days. The vehicles should follow Hong Kong laws and driving rules, and authorities will provide information about the city's roads, legal knowledge and route guidance to Guangdong residents in the following months, Chan said. Currently, the only mainland vehicles that can drive in Hong Kong are those belonging to Guangdong companies qualified under a scheme in the province. These companies have a limited quota of cars that can drive on Hong Kong roads. Chan said when she met with the press that mainland Chinese vehicles saw an accident rate of just 0.2 per cent in Hong Kong in the first half year of 2024, which was lower than the accident rate of 1.67 per cent for local vehicles. The official did not respond directly when reporters asked how drivers of Guangdong vehicles can be prevented from offering paid for-hire services. In Hong Kong, it is illegal for drivers of private cars to take passengers with payment. New parking lots Chan said the Transport Department was reaching out to parking lots, including those at shopping malls, to enhance payment channels for parking. Information about parking facilities will be offered to Guangdong drivers as well, Chan added. Apart from driving into Hong Kong's urban areas, the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme will also allow Guangdong drivers to park at the Hong Kong end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and from there, transit to Hong Kong International Airport without entering Hong Kong territory. Steven Yiu, the executive director of airport operations at the Airport Authority, said during the press conference that an automated 'transit parking lot' would be launched in November to serve drivers from the Greater Bay Area, targeting those who may only be transiting through Hong Kong. The automated parking lot, providing around 1,800 spaces, will be located at the Hong Kong end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Meanwhile, another parking lot will be put into service in the first half of 2026, Yiu said. Drivers can park there, go through Hong Kong customs and access the city via public transportation. Chan's remarks came three days after her trip to Guangdong on Monday to discuss the scheme with mainland authorities. Before her trip, she had told state-backed media that initially, Guangdong drivers will only be allowed to park at the Hong Kong end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Plans for Guangdong vehicles to drive into Hong Kong's urban areas would be done gradually and 'in phases,' she said, without disclosing a timeline. Hong Kong officials first announced a plan to introduce the southbound travel scheme for Guangdong vehicles in late 2023. The scheme was meant to begin last year but was delayed.
