Lam Sai-hung: 1 in 7 eligible private cars joins Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles

The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Lam Sai-hung, said in a blog post today (July 6) that as July 1 marks the first anniversary of the Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles scheme, more than 64,000 Hong Kong single-license private cars have traveled on the scheme with valid permits, which means that about one in every seven eligible private cars has taken part in the scheme.

He stressed that the government would continue to adopt a forward-looking approach in planning for the interconnection of transport and people-to-people cooperation among the three places, and would continue to make good use of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) and manage it well.

Lam said Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles is also one of the top 10 policies most supported by the public.

Lam pointed out that the authorities have been maintaining close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities and have introduced measures to provide greater convenience to applicants and users of the Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles scheme, including increasing the number of applications to 400 per working day, relaxing the time limit for balloting to 60 days before the expiry of permits, increasing the number of Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles vehicle inspection centers in Hong Kong to three and extending their service hours to evenings and weekends, and shortening the booking and cancellation deadlines.

The HZMB was completed and opened in 2018. As of late April this year, the number of cross-boundary vehicles traveling via the HZMB has exceeded 10 million. The cross-boundary cargo transfer station at the HZMB Macao Boundary Crossing Facilities has been in operation since August last year, and as of May this year, more than 300 Hong Kong lorries have been approved to transport goods to and from Hong Kong and Macao using the HZMB. The Hong Kong and Macao governments have also agreed to further increase the quotas for private cars in Hong Kong and Macao, including 5,000 Hong Kong quotas, which will be issued in phases according to demand and implementation.