There’s a report going around suggesting that Hong Kong should get rid of its trams to ease up on the road congestion. My question to Phil Whelan of Hong Kong Radio 3 in our regular catch up is how will the 194,000 daily passengers travelling on the 161 double-deck trams get where they’re going?

The background behind this is an extremely congested island and surrounds, that sees 7.3 million people take 12.4 million public transport journeys each day. The 680,914 cars owned by Hong Kong residents only adds to this huge congestion, but attacking the problem using only an historical understanding of what, how and when Hong Kong residents travel isn’t going to solve the future problem, nor is getting rid of the trams.

Phil and I explored alternatives including experiments in which public transport timetable are dynamic and based on travelers needs rather than a fixed timetable. By looking at socially aware apps like Waze used by drivers to get real time information about the best way to get where they’re going and by looking at Uberesque on demand transport options for cars, minivans and buses.

A great discussion, so have a listen now (17 minutes 23 seconds).