MTR
MTR is the underground rail. If you look at a map of the MTR, look at the blue colored, Island line. At the west end is Sheung Wan, my home station. Sheung Wan is one block from my doorstep and getting into the MTR is very fast. Most days, I'm going to school at CUHK's Graduate Law Centre in Admiralty. If you come out of the correct exit from Admiralty, it's just two more minutes from this exit to the classroom. Since I don't have a lot of obligations here in Hong Kong, I haven't been in a rush to get to class. However, I think a rushed commute might be possible in 10 minutes, door to door, thanks to the MTR.
Using the MTR for getting around for sightseeing or whatever else you want to do in Hong Kong is very easy and similarly fast. Trains come every other minute at peak times and the longest I've ever waited was for about six minutes and it was the last train of the night. I've never experienced a delay or loss of power on the tracks. Another convenient feature of the MTR is that all stations and routes are fully serviced by the cellular networks. There are no dead zones even two hundred feet below ground.
Downsides of the MTR...hmm, I can't really think of any. Sometimes the crowds can be overwhelming. For example, when you want to leave the train at a busy station, the entering riders hardly ever clear a space for those who are exiting. Your only option is to plow through maybe twelve Chinese people who are simultaneously converging on your starting point. Also, the escalators are absolutely packed at peak times and you might feel like you're battling for space in the queue, especially if you're carrying a backpack or shopping bags.
An important tip for MTR riding: wear a surgical mask if you're coughing or appear sick. With H1N1 and generally heightened prevention measures on Hong Kong people's minds, you are breaking a serious rule of etiquette by coughing or sneezing on the MTR without covering it with a surgical mask. There are also rules against eating and drinking in the MTR which people generally respect. I've never seen anyone get in trouble for this and I have even unwittingly taken a gulp from a bottle of water in front of MTR employees, but nothing resulted from it. Nevertheless, people do not break the rule often and the cleanliness of the MTR shows it.
Cost: supercheap. I haven't learned the pricing structure because it's really a negligible amount to travel in the city. I think that my morning commute is 3.5 HKD (approximately 45 cents). Travelling north to the main campus of CUHK in Sha Tin requires about 20-30 minutes of travel in the MTR and then 20 minutes on the light rail from Kowloon Tong, but even this trip is 14 HKD, I think.
Ding Ding
Named for the sound its bell makes as it comes down the street, Ding Dings are streetcars that run on Hong Kong Island. I do not make extensive use of the Ding Ding network because several lines come together and run on the same track on Des Voeux Rd. from Sheung Wan to Wan Chai. So, basically most places that I use Ding Ding to travel to are serviced by any of the passing streetcars.
Cost: 2 HKD. That's right. It costs about 30 cents to cross Hong Kong Island east-west or west-east, plus sitting on the upper deck of these double-deckers of another era gives a pretty good view of what's going on in town that day.
Buses
Like the Ding Ding, Hong Kong's buses are double deckers. I have only ridden them once but it was a thrilling experience. Obviously, buses are only useful to fill in the gaps not covered by the MTR. I went to the beach on the southern side of the island yesterday and had to take a bus through the tunnel to get there.
I ended up riding three different buses because I went around the western edge of the island on my way back, which required an interchange. All three were clean and, like in the MTR, prohibited food and drink.
Riding on the southern side of the island reminded me of stories that I have heard of bus travel in South America - impossibly narrow roads, steep drops, and sharp cutbacks. Because the buses are double deckers, sitting in the front row of the top is a thrill and not for the timid or weak-stomached rider.
Besides the double deckers, Hong Kong Island is also serviced by mini-buses that accommodate sixteen riders each. These buses charge up and down the hills all day long and into the night. I don't know if service stops actually, because I have seen them leaving Lan Kwai Fong on Queens Road even as late as 2 in the morning on some nights.
Cost: approaching American costs for bus fare but still very cheap. Central to Stanley was 7.5 HKD ($1), Stanley to the Cyberport was 8 HKD, and then Cyberport to Central was 7 HKD.
Payment
Cash is accepted, but hardly ever used for any of these types of transportation. There is a card called Octopus that you can obtain underground in the MTR. It might be available in other places as well, but I haven't noticed. Basically, you give them a 50 HKD deposit and whatever amount you want to use for your card's account. Swipe it to get through the turnstile or enter the bus, but remember on the Ding Ding that you only pay when you leave.
Octopus is very convenient for the fact that it is your universal payment method for transportation on Hong Kong Island, plus a lot of stores like 7-11 and some fast food places accept the card as well.
Update 9/21: contrast
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