Taxiless Kai Tak Cruise Terminal a turn-off as travelers disembark

Some 3,000 passengers disembarked cruise ship Celebrity Solstice as the vessel docked at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal on Friday morning, with passengers dissatisfied over the lack of taxis at the terminal to take them to their destinations.

The cruise ship docked at the terminal at 6 am, with passengers disembarking an hour later.

Taxis were seen starting to arrive at the terminal at 7 am, but the number was far from enough for the lengthy queue of travelers. At around 8 am, more than a hundred people were still waiting at the taxi rank.

According to official suggestions, passengers were advised to utilize five bus routes to head into town, but before 9 am, only three bus routes and a minibus route were in service. The remaining two bus routes and a free shuttle bus service only begin after 9 am.

US tourists Mark and Sue were among the first batch of passengers disembarking the vessel at around 7 am, they told reporters that it took them more than an hour to get into a taxi.

Sue said that if other countries can have enough taxis at terminals, so can Hong Kong.

When asked about reasons for not opting to take other transportation, she said the rainy weather had put the bus services out of consideration as their hotel was far away from the bus stop, while the shuttle bus - which begins services at 9 am - is also a problem.

Meanwhile, French tourists Graga and Susan said they chose to take taxis as they were carrying a lot of luggage, with Susan noting there “doesn't seem to be many taxis” at the terminal.

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