No hitches for after-countdown buses

Stacy Shi

Mainland tourists who watched the New Year countdown and fireworks display at Victoria Harbour enjoyed a smooth dispersal and were taken to border control points promptly after the show, a coach company says.

Many praised the improved arrangements in comparison to last year, which saw numerous mainland visitors stranded overnight at Sheung Shui MTR station.

Freeman Cheung Kim-ping, deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Guangdong Boundary Crossing Bus Association, said all travelers left the harbor by 2am.

"Only Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Huanggang control points operated round the clock last year, resulting in congestion," Cheung said.

"In light of prior experience, the government opened the Shenzhen Bay Port for overnight operation this year with special measures [such as] setting dedicated lanes for cross-boundary coaches in response to the potential influx of private vehicles."

But the dedicated lanes were not used, he said, as the first day of 2025 saw smooth cross-boundary traffic in its early hours.

More than 30 cross-boundary coaches operated by Cheung's company transported over 1,000 passengers from Wan Chai and Mong Kok to Shenzhen Bay Port within a span of two hours. Only four to five 47-seater coaches - departing from Wan Chai at around 1am - experienced full capacity, Cheung added.

The extended MTR service also alleviated pressure on coaches. A traveler from Shenzhen, Deng, said the dispersal was satisfactory, with clear instructions provided, and it took him only half an hour to reach a cross-border pick-up point in Mong Kok.

Deng added that he did not stay in the city overnight as he planned to have late-night snacks with friends in Shenzhen. But he expressed an intention to visit Hong Kong again, given the resumed multiple-entry individual visit scheme and the convenient high-speed rail services.

The government reported that Hong Kong received 156,000 inbound travelers on Tuesday. Around 120,000, or 77 percent, came from the mainland - almost 40 percent fewer than the number of mainland visitors recorded on the last day of 2023.

Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung said border checkpoints operated efficiently.

With Lo Wu port extending operations to 2am, a total of four control points operated in the early hours of the new year.

Kwok said the government will assess the demand and deliberate on the potential extension of service hours in the future.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung inspected Lo Wu port at around 1am and said the Immigration Department opened 119 channels, allowing travelers to cross the border in minutes.

He added that a basket of factors will be taken into consideration to regularize the extension of control point operation during New Year's Eve, including the utilization of mainland resources and the actual number of people using the control points around midnight.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com