High marks for HK's public transport

Hong Kong has the fifth most affordable public transport fares among top cities in the world, according to a survey by UK-based insurance company William Russell.

Buenos Aires has the cheapest fares in the survey of 15 major cities, with an average ticket costing 0.12 (HK$1.20). Tehran ranks second at 0.37, Rio de Janeiro third at 0.71, Singapore fourth at 1.14 and Hong Kong fifth at 1.22.

The study analyzed the public transportation systems around the world based on several criteria including the average public transport cost, transport options, public transport stops and the number of electric vehicles and eco-friendly transport options.

According to the study, Hong Kong's transport network is considered affordable and has the best transport options. It operates plenty of ways for people to get around the city, including taxis, ferries, subways, rails, buses and trams.

William Russel described Hong Kong's rail system as being reliable and capable of coping with the population.

However, the disadvantage of Hong Kong's public transport network is that it is not available 24/7 unlike in other cities, including New York, Melbourne and Tokyo. The service hours of the Hong Kong MTR are usually from 6am to 12.30am.

And Hong Kong is only average in terms of eco-friendly transport options, but it has the most electric vehicles per 100,000 people. Hong Kong does not have shared bikes nor e-scooter schemes, the survey noted. The city's eco-friendly transport score rate is 5.88 out of 10.

The best public transport city is Paris, followed by Stockholm, then Hong Kong.

Paris is rated an outstanding 10 out of 10. Paris has low public transport costs with the average ticket costing 1.85 - relatively inexpensive considering the cost of living in the city is among the highest in the world.

Paris also has a variety of nonmotorized and clean transport, which makes it the most eco-friendly transport option in the world.

Stockholm received a high score due to its public transport accessibility and abundance of electric vehicles.

The Swedish capital has the most bus stops out of all cities and a high number of public transport vehicles, making most districts in the area easy to access.