Commuting in Hong Kong

I don't drive. In Hong Kong you don't really need to. However, I have friends who have automobiles and so I know that driving, if you can afford it is still faster than the bus or even a taxi here.

I know a man here whose wife is a CPA. She actually put a pencil to it and figured out that for a family of four it is cheaper to take a taxi everywhere you go than to own a car when you include the taxes, licensing, maintenance and so forth. I'm not sure about that but driving is definitely not a middle class activity here unless you live in one of the government housing projects that provide you with a parking space.

Hong Kong has what must be surely one of the best bus systems in the world. There are also trains and subways which I don't normally take. The subway gives me the creeps because it is just two crowded and the train doesn't go past my job. However, there are still one or two days a month that I wish I had a car. Today was one of those. My bus broke down and I had to sit there until they could tow it to the shoulder and then transfer to another bus. It made me about 30 minutes late for work. If I'd had a car I could have been here on time.


When the school moves to a new location after Christmas break I will no longer have a bus that goes past my job. The time and money required to catch a bus, change to the train and then change trains again is going to be a real hassle. Causeway Bay to Shek Mun must be the only two places in Hong Kong that don't have a nearly direct bus route between them. It may be time to look into a scooter license. I still don't think I want a car.

Until Next Time
Fai Mao
The Blogger without a drivers license.