The first batch of eligible private cars from Guangdong province began entering Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge from midnight on Tuesday, under the initial phase of the "Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles" scheme.
Vehicles with the new "FT"-prefix license plates can now drive into Hong Kong urban areas and stay for up to three days per trip.
The first car to cross the border arrived at the Hong Kong port at around 4.42am. The driver, surnamed Peng, said the clearance process at both borders was smooth and efficient.
"Waiting for such a long time is for this very moment," Peng said, adding he felt fortunate and excited after waiting about a month to secure a spot in the scheme. He said he did not deliberately aim to be the first vehicle and drove slowly on his way in. He plans to tour the city with his family.
A passenger in the second car, surnamed Yang, said she usually took tour coaches to Hong Kong in the past and described the self-drive experience as allowing her to enjoy the scenery along the way. "It feels really great," she said.
She added that at the mainland checkpoint, all four car windows were opened and passengers used a dedicated channel for clearance. At the Hong Kong checkpoint, they only needed to hand over documents without leaving the vehicle.
Another driver, surnamed Zhang, said driving his own car to Hong Kong was very convenient and he was not worried about driving a left-hand-drive vehicle. He said he charged his electric vehicle in Zhuhai before departure.
The Transport Department said that among the first batch of 1,700 quotas available, over 700 applications have been received, accounting for about 40 percent of the total.
According to previous state media reports, the first batch of vehicles are from Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Zhongshan. The scheme is expected to be expanded to other cities in Guangdong in about six months.
