Guangdong vehicles will be allowed to drive into Hong Kong’s urban areas from November, the transport and logistics minister Mable Chan has announced.
The government will initially offer a quota of 100 vehicles a day for cars arriving via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge as part of the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme , Chan said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The vehicles’ drivers must have valid licenses, and the vehicles must undergo examinations before being permitted on Hong Kong roads, Chan said. Drivers will also need to apply in advance for the dates they wish to drive in the city, Chan added.
Regarding the daily quota of 100 vehicles, Chan said authorities would monitor “society’s reaction” and “the user experience” before gradually increasing the number.
“Although we are starting small, we would like to make an early head-start so that we have a firm and useful basis for us to advance quicker and on a larger scale,” Chan added in Cantonese.
The minister said authorities are considering allowing vehicles to stay for around three days.
The vehicles should follow Hong Kong laws and driving rules, and authorities will provide information about the city’s roads, legal knowledge and route guidance to Guangdong residents in the following months, Chan said.
Currently, the only mainland vehicles that can drive in Hong Kong are those belonging to Guangdong companies qualified under a scheme in the province. These companies have a limited quota of cars that can drive on Hong Kong roads.
Chan said when she met with the press that mainland Chinese vehicles saw an accident rate of just 0.2 per cent in Hong Kong in the first half year of 2024, which was lower than the accident rate of 1.67 per cent for local vehicles.
The official did not respond directly when reporters asked how drivers of Guangdong vehicles can be prevented from offering paid for-hire services. In Hong Kong, it is illegal for drivers of private cars to take passengers with payment.
New parking lots
Chan said the Transport Department was reaching out to parking lots, including those at shopping malls, to enhance payment channels for parking. Information about parking facilities will be offered to Guangdong drivers as well, Chan added.
Apart from driving into Hong Kong’s urban areas, the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme will also allow Guangdong drivers to park at the Hong Kong end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and from there, transit to Hong Kong International Airport without entering Hong Kong territory.
Steven Yiu, the executive director of airport operations at the Airport Authority, said during the press conference that an automated “transit parking lot” would be launched in November to serve drivers from the Greater Bay Area, targeting those who may only be transiting through Hong Kong.
The automated parking lot, providing around 1,800 spaces, will be located at the Hong Kong end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
Meanwhile, another parking lot will be put into service in the first half of 2026, Yiu said. Drivers can park there, go through Hong Kong customs and access the city via public transportation.
Chan’s remarks came three days after her trip to Guangdong on Monday to discuss the scheme with mainland authorities.
Before her trip, she had told state-backed media that initially, Guangdong drivers will only be allowed to park at the Hong Kong end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Plans for Guangdong vehicles to drive into Hong Kong’s urban areas would be done gradually and “in phases,” she said, without disclosing a timeline.
Hong Kong officials first announced a plan to introduce the southbound travel scheme for Guangdong vehicles in late 2023. The scheme was meant to begin last year but was delayed.
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