The third anniversary of "Australian car northbound" (picture)

The picture shows Yu Bo, a customs officer inspecting and releasing a small passenger car entering the country

On January 1st at midnight three years ago, a Macau single license plate car slowly entered the "one-stop" passage, becoming the first Macau private car to "head north" on the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge. At that time, the types of vehicles passing on the bridge were still relatively single. At midnight on New Year's Day in 2026, a different scene will be seen on the bridge: Hong Kong single license plate cars, Macau single license plate cars, and Guangdong cars weaving together. Over the past three years, from the initial one-way exploration of "Australian cars heading north" to the two-way flow of traffic from the three regions, the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge has witnessed the accelerated evolution of the "one hour living circle" in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.

Mr. Zheng from Macau still remembers the feeling of driving north for the first time: "It feels like opening a brand new door, full of anticipation." This anticipation of "going north" has now become a daily routine for Macau residents. Over the past three years, more than 38000 "northbound" Macau cars have completed registration, and many Macau residents have started to keep membership cards from Zhuhai supermarkets, coupons from Guangzhou teahouses, and picking maps from Zhongshan orchards in their private cars... The clearance experience of car owners is also constantly improving, with online registration becoming "paperless", customs clearance process optimization, and appointment time extension, making driving "northbound" from a "special experience" to a "daily travel".

According to statistics from Gongbei Customs, since the implementation of the "Macau Car Northbound" policy, the customs have supervised a total of 4.393 million single license plate vehicles entering and leaving Macau through the Daqiao Port, of which 1.741 million were in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 14.1%.

On July 1, 2023, the policy of "Hong Kong cars heading north" was implemented on the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge. The combined effect of the two major policies continues to be released. By the end of 2025, the cumulative number of single license plate vehicles under customs supervision entering and leaving Hong Kong and Macau through the Daqiao Port has exceeded 8.345 million, and the "one hour living circle" in the Greater Bay Area has become a reality.

In November 2025, the policy of "Guangdong trains heading south" was officially implemented, marking a new stage of "two-way direct and urban direct" cross-border self driving in the Greater Bay Area. Under the joint action of the three major policies, the daily average number of vehicles passing through the Daqiao Port has increased from thousands three years ago to 18000 today, with the highest daily peak exceeding 28000 on weekends and holidays.

According to customs statistics, the total number of inbound and outbound vehicles passing through Daqiao Port in 2025 will reach 6.808 million, marking the first time that the annual traffic volume at the port has exceeded 6 million, a year-on-year increase of 22.5%.

Three years is enough for one bridge to change three cities. The Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge has grown from a miracle of physical connection to an artery for the integration of life in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. When single license plate cars from Macau and Hong Kong cross the bridge in the morning and evening, they not only carry passengers, but also endless possibilities for work, study, consumption, and cultural exchange.