Eleven million passenger journeys are registered on pubic transport everyday, and with the upcoming Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and  Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge it seems Hong Kong will be more connected than ever. Perhaps with the upcoming Olympics Hong Kong's public transportation system will receive a thorough testing for the pure volume of human traffic it can handle.  

Having recently moved to Sheung Shui, straddling the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border, from my previous lodgings in Aberdeen, right at the south of Hong Kong, I got to experience transport of a different kind.  

On Hong Kong Island not only are ferries more common to use, but along the north side of the island is an electric tram line, in place since 1904, with six routes overlapping around 13 kilometers of track between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan. For novelty more than practical usage, is the Peak Tram, running what is at times a near vertical climb from Central to the Peak since 1888. 

The Peak Tram's fame is equaled by the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System, the world's longest outdoor covered escalator system, used by Wong Kar-wai in his classic “Chungking Express” and more recently traversed by Morgan Freeman in “The Dark Knight” when it shot on the streets on Hong Kong. 

I walked this escalator everyday for over a year, in the morning the escalator moves downwards, by mid-morning it has already changed direction to take commuters up the steep hill. But upon moving to Sheung Shui, the regular features of daily commute disappeared and I found another altogether different operation. 

For a start, it seems to further north you go, and the closer to mainland China, the greater the density of bicycles, the sidewalks piled with thousands of them, not a sight you would ever see on Hong Kong Island or Kowloon.  

Of Hong Kong 62,000 average daily cycle trips, 97 percent of them take place in New Territories or Outlying Island, many of which do not have cars. Study compiled by the Transport Authority shows that cycling is as popular in urban New Territories as it is in rural New Territories, showing that urbanization is not a factor in cycling distribution numbers.  

It seems more of a lifestyle choice here. Northern New Territories is a world away from the high rises and neon of Central and Kowloon, from the bustling bars and karaoke joints, there are more trees and greenery, kids with roller skates of playing hoops, and indeed a small town atmosphere pervades in most aspects of daily routine. 

Beyond bicycles, there are other modes of transport I did not encounter until my move. As New Territories is scattered with villages, remote or otherwise, that house a small number of people and are not covered by general transport routes there are dedicated trucks that for a few dollars go to these locations. They remind me of the old paddy wagons, a large cage on the back with two opposite benches on which patrons sit. Sometimes pork chops or other meat can be seen hanging from the sides to dry out in the sun. 

But these trucks do not form a part of the regular transport routine of your average New Territorian, (about 54 percent of the total Hong Kong population). Mini-buses, however, are used with much more frequency, I did not get to experience all the 'thrills' of this mode of transport whilst living on Hong Kong Island.  

The trains stop shortly after midnight, and mini-buses are sometimes the only way home. Mini buses, or Public Light Buses, come in red or green, with 16 seats, their number capped by the transport department at 4,350. There is no control over fare or routes, the green run on schedule, the red don't. Red mini-buses carry 415,000 passengers a day, and green mini-buses, which service New Territories to a greater extent, carry 1.4 million passengers a day.  

Many a late night I hopped the notorious Sheung Shui-Mong Kok mini-bus route, which takes a mere half hour, not surprising as the driver, indeed all drivers on after-dark New Territories mini-bus routes, take to the streets like a bat out of hell. The bus seems to jump over every bump in the road and fly through stoplights and round corners. I've heard some of these routes are liable to hold-up's due to their all-night frequency, but I've yet to experience such. 

A spate of mini-bus crashes led to the installment of a speedometer that beeps if the bus goes over 80, and lets out a high pitches pierce beyond 90 and 100. This piercing noise forms the background to almost every ride, and it takes some practice before you can sleep though it, or talk through it on your phone, like most locals seem to.  

Whilst mini-buses are essential to New Territories transport, mini-buses are one of the most confusing of public transport options for foreigners or expats in the city and take some getting used to. There is no listing of routes or services, it's a matter of being told where and when to catch them.  

And though some newer models carry a 'stop' button, the majority do not, requiring you to loudly yell out in Cantonese that you want to get off. An adventurous spirit has led me to occasionally catch the wrong mini bus hoping it takes me in the general direction I am heading, only to wind up in a remote part of Hong Kong that seems to have neither taxis nor cellphone reception, leaving me with a long walk through what looks like a shipping yard or industrial areas.