Learn from Macau’s experience to improve the operation of Hong Kong Motors Northbound – Hong Kong Economic Times – Newspaper – Comments

The long-awaited and long-awaited policy of “Hong Kong cars going north” was finally announced by the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong at the beginning of this month. It will be officially implemented on July 1. All Hong Kong residents holding home return permits have 8 seats in their own names. The following private cars are eligible for application.

The policy purpose of “Hong Kong Motors Northbound” is to provide further convenience for Hong Kong people, who can drive into Guangdong Province to handle business, personal affairs or travel, so as to further embrace the opportunities of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and promote the development, integration and interconnection of the Greater Bay Area. The Chief Executive, Mr Lee Kar-chiu, thanked the Central Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government for their strong support over the years to promote and implement the “Hong Kong Motors Going North”, which will provide further development momentum for the economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges between Guangdong and Hong Kong.

The number of places is small, you need to apply half a month in advance, it is difficult to travel immediately

As early as January this year, Macau took the lead in implementing the “Macau car northbound” policy. According to the author’s observation, the “Macao car northbound” operation is running smoothly. There are a lot of Macau single-plate vehicles passing through the customs clearance at the bridge port and in the Zhuhai market, which shows that the policy is very popular. In terms of application qualifications, application process, date of stay, insurance requirements of the two places, and vehicle inspection requirements, “Hong Kong Motor Northbound” and “Macao Northbound Motor” are roughly the same, but there is a big difference in terms of daily quota and flexibility of application entry date , it is estimated that Hong Kong cars are far inferior to Australian cars in terms of convenience and application difficulty!

Since the implementation of the “Macau Car Northbound” program, there are 2,000 quotas for each of the 7 days a week. Once the qualifications are approved, the application can be made no later than the day before the planned entry date. It is very flexible, and Macao car owners use the bridge port to enter and exit the mainland without paying. The toll on the bridge is RMB 150 per trip, so the “Macao car going north” is very popular among Macao people.

However, in the first phase of “Hong Kong Motors Northbound”, there are currently only a maximum of 300 places available for application per day, and there are no quotas for Sundays and holidays; in terms of the date of entry, the application has to be submitted half a month in advance, and the impromptu quota cannot be reached. Tour purpose.

In the initial stage of opening, it is hard to find a seat

Of course, Hong Kong and Macau are not the same in terms of population, number of vehicles, or geographical location, so it is not surprising that there are differences in the policies of vehicles going north between the two places. Macau has a population of more than 600,000, and there are about 80,000 eligible single-plate vehicles, while Hong Kong’s population is 11 times that of Macau, and as many as 450,000 private cars can apply for “Hong Kong Motor Northbound”. Macau is far away from Zhuhai, and you have to pay tolls. However, after all, the number of vehicles is many times that, and the daily quota is only 15% of that of Macau vehicles. It is even more difficult to apply; With the style of “lose”, it can be expected that “HK Motor Northbound” will be hard to find in the early stage of opening, especially on the eve of holidays or weekends, it is even more like a rare commodity.

Take the “Lantau Island Self-Driving Tour” that has been implemented for a long time as an example. It has become very popular since the epidemic. , 5 months into the paper lottery, but never won the lottery. Considering this, it may discourage the car owners who are looking forward to the “Hong Kong car northward” with joy. A car owner revealed to the author that he had originally kept a seven-passenger car to go north, but after the policy was announced, he felt that the application was not as easy as expected, so he sold the car for economic reasons and made plans later.

Improve car inspection appointments and promote applicable insurance in the Greater Bay Area

Of course, the first stage of “Hong Kong Motors Northbound” should be an exploratory period. The author expects that after the smooth operation, the flexibility of places and application dates will be further relaxed, reaching a level of convenience similar to that of “Macau Northbound Motors”. In Hong Kong, car inspections should ensure that appointments are easier than the current situation, and the insurance industry should also introduce more relevant insurance products suitable for the Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong residents who have never driven in the Mainland should have a better understanding of the differences in driving culture and habits between the two places At the same time, Zhuhai sea inspection should further increase the customs clearance capacity of the Zhuhai port of the bridge, so that the port will not be overcrowded. With the cooperation of multiple parties, the policy can truly benefit the people.

The policy of moving vehicles to the north has made it easier for citizens with cars. However, in Macau, some local residents have reported that the “Macau cars going north” has had a greater impact on certain types of livelihood industries, especially the catering industry, car repair and auto repair, which mainly serve local customers. The beauty industry, cross-border logistics industry, and personal service industries such as hairdressing and hairdressing, etc., have seen a significant decline in business because more Australians with spending power often drive north. The SAR government should learn from the experience of Macau, formulate plans, and try its best to assist the industries and practitioners that may be affected, so that the “Hong Kong car going north” will not cause new social problems.

▲ Earlier this month, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong jointly announced the policy of “Hong Kong cars traveling northward” to provide further convenience for Hong Kong people and promote the development, integration and interconnection of the Greater Bay Area. (profile picture)