Quota scheme set for mega bridge travel between SARs

All permanent residents as well as companies registered in Hong Kong can soon apply to use the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to travel by car between the two special administrative regions. This came as the Transport Department said on Friday that an open category for these two categories of applicants would be set up as part of an attempt to make cross-boundary travel more efficient. There will be a quota of 200 for applicants in each category when applications open on Thursday. “These new open quotas will provide additional convenience for Hong Kong residents to drive to Macao for work, business, visiting families or sightseeing, thereby strengthening ties between the two places,” a spokesman said. Currently, only permanent residents and firms meeting specific requirements can apply. Besides these, another quota of 1,000 – half of them new and the rest reallocated – will be set aside for existing eligible applicants in the upcoming round. Under the quota scheme, drivers are entitled to multiple entries into Macao using the mega bridge starting from mid-July until it expires in 2029. However, the department stressed, current holders of quotas issued after September 2023 are not eligible to apply this time around. Edited by Thomas McAlinden