Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry
The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company Limited, is a ferry company founded in 1897 in Hong Kong. It is commonly known as Yaumati Ferry. After restructuring the company in 1989, it became a subsidiary of Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) Company Limited.
Its head office is in the northern Tsing Yi.
History
The original company was founded by a Chinese business man named Lau Tak Po in 1897 during the colonial Hong Kong era. At the time he purchased 5 wooden boats and provided services exclusively to Kowloon under the company name "Yaumati Ferry". Yaumati is the alternative transliteration of Yau Ma Tei.Until the Ferries Ordinance of 1917, there was no regulation set by the government as to who can run a ferry service. After the Ordinance was enacted, no one can operate a ferry service without securing a licence from the government through public tender. The first companies who obtained the licence during 1919-1921 operated poorly, hence in April 1923, the government issued a call in the Gazette for a tender to operate the Yaumati ferry service. Lau Tak Po then started to recruit other Chinese Merchants to compete for the ferry licence. Eventually, Lau Tak Po together with 13 other merchants secured the licence in July 1923, and established "the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Company Limited" with Lau Tak Po and Lau King Cho as the managing directors on 5 November 1923.
Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry obtained the franchise licence for the rights to the transportation route, blocking off competition from Star Ferry company.
On 1 January 1924, Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry commenced its ferry service. The routes included were: Victoria City/Yaumati; Victoria City/Mong Kok Tsui; Victoria City/Sham Shui Po. A fleet of 12 small Wooden hulled vessels were used. Due to warnings from the government as to the low quality of the vessels, the old fleet was eventually replaced by newly built wooden and steel ferries during the 1920s.
Subsequently, the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry expanded its services to include the vehicular ferry service in 1933. The service transported motor vehicles across Victoria Harbour for many years prior to the opening of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, Eastern Harbour Tunnel and Western Harbour Tunnel in 1972, 1989 and 1997. The company decided to give up the ferry licences in 1999, and these licences were transferred to the New World First Ferry on 15 January 2000.