4. FLEET

Hong Kong Tramways Ltd. now owns 163 double-decker trams, including two open-balcony trams for tourists and private hire and one special maintenance tram. The tram itself is commonly called the " DingDing " by Hong Kong people, after the double bell ring trams use to to warn pedestrians of their approach. It is the only fully double-decker tram fleet in the world. Most of trams in operation were rebodied in the late 1980s or early 1990s. They are equipped with sliding windows. Since the early 2000s these trams have been upgraded to provide better operating performance and safety.

The tram fleet first consisted of 26 single-deck trams, with bodies 29 ft (8.8 m) long and 6 ft 1 in (1.9 m) wide, imported from England. However, they were quickly removed because of the rapid modernisation programmes. These tramcars were replaced by open-top double-deck tram cars from 1912 onwards. The introduction of permanent roofs for trams in 1923 was a big improvement to the system. In 1960s, adding trailers was proposed due to the increasing population and demands, and were added to the trams in Hong Kong in early 1965. Trailers served as the first class of the trams. but they were withdrawn at the end of 1982 since they produced too much nosie when moving.