HK doubles southbound driving quota and expands scheme to nine Greater Bay Area cities

The Hong Kong government announced on Monday a major expansion of Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles, doubling the daily entry quota and extending coverage to all nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area by late July in a bid to boost local economic growth.

Confirming reports published earlier in the day by Sing Tao Daily, the sister publication of The Standard, officials revealed that the daily quota for mainland vehicles entering Hong Kong's urban areas will increase from 100 to 200.

The expansion adds Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, and Zhaoqing to the permitted list of departure cities.

While the maximum stay remains capped at three days per vehicle, authorities are also introducing a new "Park and Ride" service at boundary control point car parks to offer more travel options for cross-border drivers.

The rollout will occur in planned stages over the coming weeks. Starting June 15, drivers from the newly added cities will be granted access to the existing automated "Park and Fly" service at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port.

This will be followed by a broader launch on July 25, when these vehicles will be allowed to drive directly into the city under the newly doubled quota.

On the same day, the "Park and Ride" service will become available to drivers from all nine designated mainland cities.

Looking ahead, the two governments are aiming to expand the scheme to cover all 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province by the first quarter of 2027, provided the upcoming phases run smoothly.

The expansion follows a successful six-month initial run of the program, which launched in late 2025 to parallel the Northbound Travel scheme for Hong Kong drivers.

Demand has surged since its inception, with government figures showing approximately 8,400 approved applications and 6,700 booked trips for urban entry by the end of May.

During the recent Labour Day Golden Week, booking requests exceeded the daily limit by up to three times.

Meanwhile, the port's "Park and Fly" service has attracted over 8,600 registered users and facilitated more than 4,000 parking reservations.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan expressed gratitude to the Central and Guangdong provincial governments for their ongoing support in advancing the initiative.

She noted that the reciprocal self-drive arrangements have successfully established a new pattern of connectivity within the Greater Bay Area.

The transport chief added that the administration intends to leverage this safe and streamlined expansion to attract higher-spending tourists and families from the mainland, which will help stimulate Hong Kong's economy and elevate cross-border integration to new heights.

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