Today (July 1) marks the first anniversary of the "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" scheme being put into operation. This scheme allows eligible Hong Kong motor vehicles to travel between Hong Kong and Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB). As of 16:00 on June 30, the HZMB has seen over 950,000 inbound and outbound vehicles pass through its Zhuhai port. Additionally, more than 82,000 drivers with 67,000 vehicles have completed the border inspection record, as reported by the bridge's border inspection station.
(Photo: Nanfang Daily)
Self-driving northbound travel has become one of the most popular cross-border ways for Hong Kong residents to enter and exit the Chinese mainland. Based on the statistics from the bridge's border inspection station, since the implementation of the scheme, the average monthly growth rate of Hong Kong vehicles passing through the HZMB Zhuhai Port has exceeded 33.8 percent. Since the beginning of this year in particular, the number of Hong Kong vehicles traveling northbound has reached 113,000 per month, 16 times that of the first month of the scheme, maintaining an increasing trend month by month. At present, Hong Kong single-plate vehicles have become the major vehicles passing through the HZMB Zhuhai Port, accounting for 33 percent of the daily total.
"With the 'Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles' scheme, our travel to other cities in the Greater Bay Area becomes more convenient," said Mr. Chen, a Hong Kong single-plate driver. "In the past, we usually chose to travel to Japan, South Korea or neighboring countries in Southeast Asia during summer vacation, but now we prefer to travel northbound to visit various cities in the GBA." Chen also noted that he recently took his family to Guangzhou to watch the dragon boat races, and now they are planning to spend the summer vacation in Qingyuan, a city in northern Guangdong.
According to the bridge's border inspection station, during weekends and holidays this year, the average daily traffic flow of Hong Kong single-plate vehicles passing through the HZMB Zhuhai Port reached 6,600, accounting for more than 42 percent of the total number of cars through the port.
Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles has made it more convenient for Hong Kong residents to travel between Guangdong and Hong Kong, promoting the integrated development of GBA. This year, the flow of inbound and outbound passengers and vehicles through HZMB has continued to grow rapidly. The number of inbound and outbound passengers through the port has exceeded 12.5 million, an increase of 113 percent year-on-year, while that of inbound and outbound vehicles has reached 2.5 million, an increase of 102 percent year-on-year. Among them, the number of inbound and outbound passengers from Hong Kong exceeded 5.15 million, an increase of 185 percent over the same period last year, accounting for more than 40 percent of the total passenger flow at the port.
Reporter | Ye Zhen
Editor | Abby, James
