Hong Kong Transportation

Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transportation network, encompassing both public and private transport. Over 90% of the daily travels are on public transport, making it the highest in the world.Travelling on public transport is facilited through use of the Octopus card, an "anonymous" stored value smart card which can be purchased at Mass Transit Railway and Kowloon Canton Railway stations. It can be used to pay fares on most trains, buses and ferries, and is even accepted at parking meters.
By plane
There are flights to Hong Kong from virtually everywhere in the world. Within China, there are numerous flights per day between Beijing (4hr), Shanghai (2hr), Guangzhou, Guillin, and Xiamen. The new airport at Chek Lap Kok is 40 km from the city center.
Traveling to/from the airport:
The airport express travels to Kowloon railway station and Hong Kong railway station. It takes 12 minutes to arrive at Tsing Yi Station, 19 minutes to Kowloon and 23 minutes to Hong Kong Island. Shuttle buses then run from these stations to the HK Convention and Exhibition Center and various hotels.
The airport express operates between 05:50 to 00:48.
Rail transport
Hong Kong has an efficient train network. Public transport trains are operated by two companies, the MTR Corporation Limited (MTR) and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). The MTR operates the metro network within inner urban Hong Kong, Kowloon Peninsula and northern part of Hong Kong Island with newly developed areas, Tsuen Wan, Tseung Kwan O, Tung Chung, Hong Kong Disneyland and the Hong Kong International Airport, while the KCR network connects the northeastern and northwestern parts of the New Territories with the urban areas of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Tramways operates a tram service exclusively on northern Hong Kong Island. The Peak Tram connects Central, Hong Kong's CBD, with the Victoria Peak.
Mass Transit Railway
There are altogether seven lines in the MTR system, with a total of 53 stations. The seven lines are Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Island Line, Tseung Kwan O Line, Tung Chung Line, the Airport Express and the Disneyland Resort Line. The former 5 lines provide ordinary metro services, whereas the Airport Express provides a direct link from the Hong Kong International Airport into the city centre, while the Disneyland Resort Line exclusively takes passengers to Hong Kong Disneyland.
All trains and most KCR/MTR metro stations feature air conditioning which allows the visitor intimidated by Hong Kong's tropical heat to literally shop and work all day without having to experience outside temperatures.
Public light buses
Public light buses (小巴) (widely referred to as minibuses, or sometimes maxicabs, a de facto share taxi) run the length and breadth of Hong Kong, through areas which the standard bus lines cannot or do not reach as frequently, quickly or directly. Minibuses carry a maximum of 16 passengers; no standees are allowed.

The Hong Kong Transport Department (HKTD) allows and licenses the operation of two types of public light buses - (1) green minibuses that have route numbers, stop at designated stops and whom have their fares, service and frequency regulated by the HKTD; and (2) red minibuses that may or may not have regular routes, may or may not be numbered, may or may not have fixed stops and whose fares and service levels are not regulated by HKTD.[2]

Red minibuses do often provide more convenient supplementary transportation services for riders which aren't serviced by green minibuses or other public buses, and are thus quite popular to use. Where green minibus drivers are paid fixed wages to drive their routes, red minibus drivers often rely on their pick-up fares for a living and thus are often seen to be more aggressive drivers. The prevalence of aggressive driving has resulted in the HKTD making it mandatory for Hong Kong minibuses to be equipped with large read-out speedometers which allow passengers to track the speed at which minibus drivers operate. Currently, if minibuses exceed 90km/h, the speedometer will sound an audible warning signal (begin beeping) to the driver and passengers. If the minibus exceeds 100km/h, the beeping will turn into a sustained tone. However, it is almost without exception that this warning signal is ignored by both the driver and passengers.
Taxis
As of 2005, there were 18,138 taxis in Hong Kong, 15,250 of which were urban taxis, 2,838 New Territories taxis, and 50 Lantau taxis. Every day, they serve 1.1 million, 207,900, and 1,400 passengers respectively. Taxis carry an average of one million passengers each day, occupying about 12% of the daily patronage carried by all modes of public transport in Hong Kong.

Most of the taxis in Hong Kong run on LPG (liquified petroleum gas) for protection of the environment. In August 2000 a one-off cash grant was paid to taxi owners who replaced their diesel taxi with an LPG one. By the end of 2003, over 99.8% of the taxi fleet in Hong Kong ran on LPG. Since August 2001, all newly purchased taxis run on LPG.

Taxi fare is charged according to the taximeter; however, additional charges on the faretable may apply, such as road tolls and luggage fees. Red urban taxis are the most expensive, while blue Lantau taxis are the cheapest. The standard of service among different kinds of taxis is mostly the same. The reason for having three types of taxis is to ensure service availability in less populated regions, as running in the urban centre is considered to be more profitable.
Ports and harbours
The port of Hong Kong has always been a key factor in the development and prosperity of the special administrative region, which is strategically located on the Far East trade routes and is in the geographical centre of the fast-developing Asia-Pacific Basin. The sheltered harbour provides good access and a safe haven for vessels cal