Bus services in Hong Kong!!

Posted by gmygotravel

Bus services have a long history in Hong Kong. As of 2005, five companies operate franchised public bus services. There are also a variety of non-franchised public buses services, including feeder bus services to railway stations operated by MTR, and residents' services for residential estates.

The bus service of Hong Kong can be roughly divided into 3 types: Franchised bus, Non-franchised bus and Public light bus.

Franchised bus

As of 2007, there are 5 privately owned bus companies that provide franchised bus service across Hong Kong, operating more than 700 routes. Hong Kong is one of the few cities in the world that has no publicly-operated bus service.

These are the five franchised bus companies in Hong Kong:

Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited

Mainly provides service in Kowloon and New Territories, operating total 402 routes. Some of them are cross-harbour routes.

Citybus Limited

Mainly provides service on Hong Kong Island, operating 154 routes. 72 routes are on Hong Kong Island, 32 of them are North-Lantau and Airport routes, and the final 50 of the routes are cross-harbour routes. Other than those, Citybus operates shuttle routes B3, B3A and B3X between Tuen Mun and Shenzhen Bay Port.

Long Win Bus Company Limited

Mainly services Tung Chung, Disneyland Resort and routes shuttling between the Airport and New Territories.

New World First Bus Services Limited

Mainly provides service on Hong Kong Island.

New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited

Mainly provides service on Lantau Island, operating a total of 20 routes.

Founded in 1933, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is one of the largest privately owned public bus operators in the world. KMB's fleet consists of 4,058 buses on 402 routes and a staff of over 12,000. In 1979, Citybus began its operation in Hong Kong with one double-decker, providing shuttle service for the Hong Kong dockyard. It later expanded into operating a residential bus route between City One, Shatin and Kowloon Tong MTR station. New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) was established in 1998, taking over China Motor Bus's franchise to provide bus services on Hong Kong Island together with Citybus. NWFB's parent company later bought Citybus, but the two companies have basically been operating independently.

Hong Kong franchised bus routes have a fixed path, fare, service hours and schedule. Urban routes mostly operate with double-decker buses, which have become a distinguishing feature of Hong Kong. Passengers are required to pay their bus fare when they board the bus, and all buses accept payment by either Octopus card or coins. Some routes such as cross-harbour routes and Disneyland Resort routes are operated jointly by two companies.

Non-franchised buses

The non-franchised bus services of Hong Kong are provided by different private bus companies as a means to relieve the demand on franchised buses and green public minibuses in rush hour. They also serve some remote places which are non-profitable for franchised buses and green public minibus operators. According to the Transport Department, there were 7206 registered non-franchised buses in Hong Kong up to 31 December 2003. Generally speaking, the services are divided into the following categories:

Tourist services (A01): Literally called "Travel bus" (旅遊巴), providing transport services for tourists between tourist attractions.

Hotel services (A02): operated by hotels or by bus companies, providing transport services for hotel customers.

School services (A03): operated by schools or by bus companies, providing transport services for students.

Employee services (A04): operated by different institutes or by bus companies, providing transport services for employees.

Residential services (A06): Literally called "Estate bus" (邨巴), providing feeder services between new towns and urban areas; they sometimes also operate between the management company of private housing estates and bus companies, as a mean to carry residents from where they live to major transport interchanges.

Contract hire services (A08): Hired by a person or groups for transport services.

Public light buses

The public light buses in Hong Kong are passenger transport vehicles (minibuses) with a capacity of 16 passengers. The capacity was 14 before 1980s. They provide feeder services to buses and the railway. According to the law, there can only be 4350 minibuses. They can be divided into two types: red public minibuses and green public minibuses. Other kinds of light bus services, for example, the Nanny van transports provided by such van owners during 1980s are considered illegal beyond their operation routes.