Some smokers are still lighting up at bus stops in Hong Kong despite new rules banning them from doing so while queuing, the Post has observed, with authorities saying they have stepped up inspections at tourist spots and ramped up promotion efforts.
The new rules that took effect on Thursday included a ban on anyone smoking at designated boarding points for public transport when waiting in a queue of two or more people.
But on the first day of the policy, a Post reporter spotted someone smoking as he lined up with several people at a bus stop along Tsim Sha Tsui’s Canton Road.
The man, a freelance worker who only gave his name as Ray, said he was unaware of the new rules. “I just passed by and lit a cigarette,” he said when approached, before walking away.
Meanwhile, Matthew Ong, 38, a lawyer visiting from the Philippines, avoided breaking the rules while smoking an e-cigarette, as no one else was waiting at the bus stop near the Star Ferry Pier.
He said he learned about the ban from an earlier Post report, but was unfazed by the change as a tourist.
