The double-decker
buses that run around town
are not fast (being subject to frequent traffic
snarl-ups) but are comfortable enough, especially
now that most are air-conditioned, and they are
essential for many destinations, such as the south
of Hong Kong Island, and parts of the New
Territories, not served by trains. You pay as you
board and exact change is required; the amount is
often posted up on the timetables at bus stops. HKTA
issues useful up-to-date information on bus routes,
including the approximate length of journeys and
cost. The
main bus terminal in Central is at
Exchange Square, a few minutes' walk west of the
Star Ferry Terminal, though some buses also start
from right outside the ferry terminal, or from the
Outlying Islands Piers, west of the Star Ferry. In
Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, the main bus terminal is right
in front of the Star Ferry Terminal.
As well as the big buses, there are also
ubiquitous cream-coloured minibuses and maxicabs
that can be stopped almost anywhere on the street
(not on double yellow lines), though these often
have the destination written in Chinese only. They
cost a little more than regular buses, and you
usually pay the driver as you disembark; change - in
small amounts - is only given on the minibuses
(which have a red rather than a green stripe). The
drivers of either are unlikely to speak English.
Taxis in Hong Kong are not expensive,
though they can be hard to get hold of in rush
hours. Note that there is a toll to be paid (around
$10, but the amount varies according to the tunnel)
on any trips through the cross-harbour tunnel
between Kowloon and Hong Kong, and drivers often
double this - as they are allowed to do - on the
grounds that they have to get back again. Many taxi
drivers do not speak English so be prepared to show
the driver the name of your destination written down
in Chinese. If you get stuck gesture to the driver
to call his dispatch centre on the two-way radio;
someone there will speak English.
Car rental is theoretically possible,
though unnecessary and highly inadvisable in Hong
Kong. Taxis are far cheaper and more convenient.
