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Ubering or taxis cross harbour - cheapest options

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  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by jimbo_jones:
    I was thinking Kowloon = Kowloon station area. Sorry. Son is going to PIPs ontop of Kowloon station.

    We thought we could easily get from Namcheong to Kowloon, etc. But we tried getting a small stroller around.

    1. Lots of stairs and no lift to concourse level at a lot of stations.
    2. some places have stairs and escalator - quite an adventure getting a small pram down.
    3. At namcheong, there doesn't seem to be wider gates. I had to lift the pram with our 2.5 year old son over the gate. I saw another lady have to get out of her wheelchair, husband/partner folded and unfolded on the other side...

    Maybe we missed the lifts, but I don't really see many. Some places used to have a button to press, which I assume means somebody comes to carry you down if you are in wheelchair. In Korea and Australia, most stations have wheel chair access from street to platform / pre-pay area.

    Currently in Tin Hau - lots of stairs at MTR.
    Tried Northpoint - lots of stairs at MTR... Plus lots of stairs around the hills near most apartments.

    Trains look pretty impractical until our son is okay with walking. Lots of walking.. We ended up expecting to uber everywhere. So cheaper rent goes into ubers...
    We handled it with two kids in strollers (not at the same time). There were lifts at all the stations we used so you might need to take another look. The trains were fine, the strollers are great for smashing ankles, but sometimes we did get into a taxi if we were knackered or feeling lazy. The trains just need getting used to so try a few more times.

    I would agree with everyone else on avoiding living on one side of the harbour with the kindy on the other side.

  2. #12

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    Nam Cheong is one of the newer and more spacious MTR stations, big arse wide gates everywhere and not those damn turnstyle type that wreak havoc with baby strollers, toilets and other facilities, etc. For the last 15 years has been nothing there except the monster MTR station with 2 lines intersecting and is like a huge ghost town inside with only half the shops open. But just last week the new V-walk mall opened and the Cullinan West 2 residential complex so a bit more activity now. But still if you can't handle Nam Cheong I think you might be in for trouble everywhere in HK.

    HK_Katherine likes this.

  3. #13

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    Feb 2009
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    Also if you dont like the ones on top of Kowloon station because they are a bit old, have a look at the Austin or the Grand Austin, just next door, connected by bridge. Brand new.


  4. #14

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    Oct 2014
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    This will be a nightmare for you.

    What is your budget? You couldn’t find anything decent around Olympic?

    If you’re going to stay on HK Island it’s madness to attend a kindy at Kowloon Station. It would probably be less stressful to get to the original PIPS campus at Parkview by taxi than to cross the harbor.


  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by bdw:
    Nam Cheong is one of the newer and more spacious MTR stations, big arse wide gates everywhere and not those damn turnstyle type that wreak havoc with baby strollers, toilets and other facilities, etc. For the last 15 years has been nothing there except the monster MTR station with 2 lines intersecting and is like a huge ghost town inside with only half the shops open. But just last week the new V-walk mall opened and the Cullinan West 2 residential complex so a bit more activity now. But still if you can't handle Nam Cheong I think you might be in for trouble everywhere in HK.
    We've been out there twice on the weekend.

    Maybe the turnstiles are manned on the weekdays and somebody opens the side door. Nobody around on the weekend on the two exits we look at. We saw an old lady get out of the wheelchair, so we sort of assumed that there was no other option. Some other couple was also wandering around, looking for a pram accessible exit...

    There seemed to be lifts in the paid section between platforms. Just couldn't see the unpaid section to the street / shopping centre lifts. Didn't see any other lifts signage and the little maps didn't seem to show anything obvious.

    We saw escalators. Asked the folks in yellow, got pointed to the escalator for the pram. Maybe if we spoke canto it would have been different.

    The cullinan west 2 apartments were big (at least the 4 bedroom, 1200sqft +) and squeak into our budget.

    The v walk mall was packed last weekend.

  6. #16

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    Jan 2015
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    what about looking for lifts from the station map first?
    http://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/ch/ser...ayouts/nac.pdf

    jack55 likes this.

  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by jimbo_jones:
    We've been out there twice on the weekend.

    Maybe the turnstiles are manned on the weekdays and somebody opens the side door. Nobody around on the weekend on the two exits we look at. We saw an old lady get out of the wheelchair, so we sort of assumed that there was no other option. Some other couple was also wandering around, looking for a pram accessible exit...

    There seemed to be lifts in the paid section between platforms. Just couldn't see the unpaid section to the street / shopping centre lifts. Didn't see any other lifts signage and the little maps didn't seem to show anything obvious.

    We saw escalators. Asked the folks in yellow, got pointed to the escalator for the pram. Maybe if we spoke canto it would have been different.

    The cullinan west 2 apartments were big (at least the 4 bedroom, 1200sqft +) and squeak into our budget.

    The v walk mall was packed last weekend.
    I'm a bit confused. Nam Cheong station doesn't have turnstyles (which I understand and agree are a pain in the arse and need to lift the stroller over the gates). It has the more friendly gates below, the one on the left being a bit wider but even the normal ones can fit a smaller size stroller through quite easily. Also as DeletedUser says, escalators are quite easy to use with a stroller once you get the hang of it.

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  8. #18

    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Quote Originally Posted by bdw:
    I'm a bit confused. Nam Cheong station doesn't have turnstyles (which I understand and agree are a pain in the arse and need to lift the stroller over the gates). It has the more friendly gates below, the one on the left being a bit wider but even the normal ones can fit a smaller size stroller through quite easily. Also as DeletedUser says, escalators are quite easy to use with a stroller once you get the hang of it.

    And even there the left most one is the wider kind. And to the left more the middle there is a lift. Nam Cheong is one of the better stations, huge, not a lot of people. I'm surprised the staff pointed u to the escalator as it's not recommended for prams although people do it all the time. The V Walk mall is only packed because it's new and people were avoiding other places (protests and all) double whammy. Give it some time it'll die down. Although there isn't a lot of western food there. In fact I can't think of even one place right now. But there's a Fusion supermarket.

    The lift that goes down the A exit is off to the side, to the right of the escalators. HK takes some getting used to. But once you do, it's pretty convenient.

  9. #19

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    Guys I think you need to go easy on OP. Being new to HK having parented in countries where it’s easy to push a stroller around on wide sidewalks, driving in cars straight to nursery etc. even the most modern MTR station will seem like a massive struggle.

    It will be easier for all involved to choose a flat and then a kindergarten that is convenient to reach from it without requiring strollers on escalators. I have 2 kids and they never have had to do that to get to preschool.

    rani likes this.

  10. #20

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    Did the stroller and escalator thing. It's really safe and easy, assuming that the user is not some kind of complete muppet (not implying that he is, just seen a lot of people with surprisingly borderline escalator skills in HK!) You get used to it really fast. My kid was okay getting on and off escalators (no stroller) at 3.

    Also lifting a stroller over by the turnstiles is pretty easy, as long as you take the kid out first.