Hong Kong gradually got back to normal on Thursday as Severe Tropical Storm Ma-on moved further away from the city, with some residents saying the storm was not as strong as they had expected.

A commuter on the Kowloon side of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel surnamed Chan said the situation was not as chaotic as it had been in previous storms and bus services were frequent.

"Maybe the storm was not as big... the winds were not strong and there was not much rain. The observatory gave clear forecasts this time and told us in advance what signals would be in force," said Chan.

Meanwhile, a passenger at Kowloon Tong Station surnamed Ng said he didn’t find going to the office a hassle after the storm passed, adding that his journey was smooth even though there were a lot of people using the MTR.

"I think a lot of people were expecting that it was going to go back to typhoon signal number three in the morning. At my company we were told to go back in two hours after the downgrade. I'm quite lucky because I live near to the MTR, so it's easier for me to manage," he said.

But a woman who lives in Wong Tai Sin said she had a hard time getting to the railway station from her home because shuttle buses were full due to the infrequent services.

"I waited for one hour for my bus, but the buses were not stopping. Finally I walked and walked [to the MTR station]. It was very difficult," said the woman surnamed Kitlekar.