This aerial photo taken on Dec 15, 2023 shows the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
The number of Hong Kong and Macao single-plated vehicles using the Zhuhai Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has exceeded 2 million trips as of Sunday, setting a new record since the Northbound Travel policy was launched last year.
To facilitate traveling across the border for work and leisure, the central government initiated the northbound travel program for Macao and Hong Kong private car owners in January and July respectively last year. The program allows residents of the two special administrative regions to drive eligible private cars to Guangdong, without applying for a local license plate.
Since the beginning of this year, the daily average of Macao cars cleared through the Bridge Port has reached 4,000 trips, showing a year-on-year growth of 27.6 percent; the figure for Hong Kong is above 3,200, with the highest single-day record exceeding 8,300 trips.
Qiu Yanyan, an officer of the Bridge Port, said Customs has upgraded the examination platform by expanding the visual supervision range by 25 kilometers so that they can adjust in advance in case of heavy traffic to ensure smooth clearance
In total, the Customs has cleared 550,000 trips for Hong Kong single-license plate vehicles since July. Though this was only about one-third of the trips made by Macao vehicles, Hong Kong vehicles are set to become the primary “engine” of traffic volume on the bridge, with a record total of 110,000 trips in February — almost equivalent to Macao’s.
Moreover, more vehicles are carrying an increasing number of travelers. Passengers taking the 55-kilometer journey have reached 5.58 million so far this year.
The traffic flow is expected to keep rising with an increasing number of drivers and vehicles qualifying to travel northbound. So far, more than 100,000 Hong Kong and Macao drivers have registered for the program, while about 78,000 Macao and Hong Kong single-license plate vehicles have registered with mainland customs. What is worth noting is the growing number of registered Hong Kong vehicles, with nearly 6,000 new registrations per month.
Qiu Yanyan, an officer of the Bridge Port, said Customs has upgraded the examination platform by expanding the visual supervision range by 25 kilometers so that they can adjust in advance in case of heavy traffic to ensure smooth clearance.
She noted that Customs will also coordinate with Hong Kong and Macao authorities to promote in-depth integration and convenient travel in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
