Blog #107 TAX!
Hong Kong is the best city in the world to get around in. Public transportation is excellent. Massive double-decker busses, mini-busses, ferries to the outer islands and across Victoria Harbour, the immaculate and efficient MTR, and of course taxis are inexpensive, fast, safe, frequent, and relatively clean.
Given that there are 7 million people or more who live in this tiny territory, and only 5% own private cars, the transportation system needs to be spot on and it is! In the last eight years that I’ve lived here, the only time that I really miss having a car is on a Friday morning, in the pouring rain, when there are there are no taxis and I’m trying to get to work. Do you feel my pain? I know, I know, first world problems, I get it.
So the taxi is like your private car in Hong Kong. Red ones travel around Hong Kong Island and Kowloon side, green are in the New Territories far north and blue are on Lantau Island only where the airport is.
Hong Kong uses Toyota Crown Comfort models almost exclusively. It’s a late 1980s semi-boxy no-frills sedan type design. Frankly, I’m convinced that Toyota copied the VW Jetta Mark II (1984-1992) . Anyway the red body and silver topped four-door sedan (saloon) is an icon. It’s impossible not to take photos of Hong Kong taxis. The red colour shows up great on color film as well.
In this week’s blog post, I offer a selection of Hong Kong Taxi images for your visual enjoyment. It’s an Ode To The Taxi that we all know and love, and take for granted. Vroom Vroom…
The light is always right.
jhg
*Images: © Jeremy H. Greenberg
Where: Hong Kong
Subject: Hong Kong Red Taxi Series
Gear: Mostly Fujifilm X-Series Mirrorless Digital Cameras and 28mm, 35mm, or 50mm lenses
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