Ding ding! Hong Kong commuters and overseas tourists alike enjoyed free travel on the trams and Star Ferries during the Chamber’s Free Ride Day on 29 November. The event was part of the celebrations to mark the 157th anniversary of HKGCC. 

Chamber Chairman Aron Harilela, CEO Shirley Yuen, members of the Chamber’s General Committee and representatives from member companies officially launched the event at Hongkong Tramways Sai Wan depot.

“We are delighted once again to welcome everyone in Hong Kong to enjoy free rides all day on the trams and Star Ferries,” said Chamber Chairman Aron Harilela. 

“HKGCC is celebrating 157 years of working for the Hong Kong business community. The trams and the Star Ferries have also been helping the people of Hong Kong for more than 100 years, so it is appropriate that we team up on this special occasion.”

Free Ride Day first took place to celebrate HKGCC’s 150th anniversary. It was such a success that it is now an annual event, and around 2 million people have benefited from free trips on the trams and ferries since then. 

Standing next to the antique trams and looking towards the traffic in Hong Kong during the launch ceremony, the Chairman took the opportunity to consider the city’s whole transport system.

“These historic and charming trams and ferries also form crucial parts of Hong Kong’s transport network, which is the envy of the world. But one area where we do not do so well is road congestion – particularly between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island,” said Harilela.

“In Hong Kong, we like to be on the move, and we certainly don’t enjoy being stuck in traffic. So we are pleased to see that the Government is taking action to relieve our road bottlenecks by adjusting the tariffs on our three cross-harbour tunnels.”

The Government plans to increase tariffs on the Cross Harbour Tunnel and Eastern Harbour Crossing, and reduce the toll on the less busy Western Harbour Tunnel. 

“Congestion is a long-standing problem,” Harilela said. “We hope that these tariff changes will ease the long traffic queues that waste time, cause economic inefficiency and increase air pollution.” 

Yuen expressed her thanks to the sponsors of this year’s event, whose donations cover the fares of the public for the whole day.

“We are extremely grateful to the more than 100 HKGCC members whose generosity has made Free Ride Day possible,” she said. Yuen also gave thanks to media partners Cable TV and Hong Kong Open TV under Hong Kong Cable Enterprises Limited, Metro Broadcast Corporation Limited, and Sing Tao Daily, Headline Daily and The Standard under the Sing Tao Group, for their assistance in publicising the event.

After the launch ceremony, the Chamber’s Chairman, CEO, members and staff travelled by tram to Causeway Bay where they greeted members of the public and handed out souvenirs. 

The Free Ride Day festivities continued in the afternoon with a party on board the “World Star” ferry to thank sponsors, members and committee leaders. They all enjoyed the opportunity to relax during the 45-minute trip while taking in the stunning views of Victoria Harbour.  

In the run-up to Free Ride Day, the Chamber ran a fun competition on its Facebook page asking Hong Kong citizens to write a poem about their experiences of the trams and ferries. Eleven winners were chosen from more than 200 entries, who won prizes of hotel stays and buffet vouchers sponsored by Ctrip. 

"We know about Free Ride Day, and we do remember it is held once a year. But we did not know it was happening today! Thank you so much for providing free rides for everybody in the community, and of course – the glass cloth souvenir! It’s so thoughtful of you."   – Mak Family from Hong Kong.

"We were looking for the ticket office, but to our surprise, it is free for all! How amazing that we're benefiting from it too! We have relatives living in Hong Kong, so we came here for visiting and sightseeing. The kids had so much fun at Disneyland."  – Brinkmann Family from San Francisco, the United States.

"Your staff members are so enthusiastic and cordial reaching out to the local people. I can see how active and engaged citizens are. It brightens up my day at work at Yee Wo Street by just watching this interactive scene! I really appreciate your effort to organize such a meaningful event to benefit the community in Hong Kong."    – Mandy Leung from Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong is the last destination of our trip – we are here for six days. It was raining in the last couple of days, but today all the dark clouds have gone and it’s so nice and beautiful out here with the sea view and the breeze. It’s such a happy occasion that the ferry ride is free!"    – Thomas and Gaynor Marshall from Wales, the United Kingdom