In This Issue

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End of an Era: Citybus Discontinues Bus Route 95

Citybus route 95, inaugurated on 1 May 1980 with the opening of the Ap Lei Chau Bridge and the completion of Ap Lei Chau Estate, saw its last service on 6 April 2024. Formally a bus route operated by CMB and NWFB, and inherited by Citybus in 2023, the bus route is one of the essential access to the populated island of Ap Lei Chau. On the final day of service, Citybus offered buses carrying the NWFB wave livery to make the last run.

Route history

Route 95, the first batch of bus routes to serve Ap Lei Chau, was established to provide a way of convenient transportation between Ap Lei Chau and Aberdeen. The bus route covered Aberdeen Reservoir Road with a steep gradient of 1 in 5, and it is also NWFB's last bus route to run Leyland Victory Mark 2 front-engine buses in 1999, as well as the last NWFB urban route to be fully air-conditioned in 2002. That year, the route was extended to Lee King Street of the Lee Nam Road Industrial Area, after the absorption of bus route 95A.

However, back in 1992 and 1997, respectively, CMB and Citybus started operating routes 595 and 95C, both of which also cover the majority of route 95. With the overlapping of the bus route network and low patronage, it was decided that the route would be canceled, along with route alterations of both 595 and 95C, which took effect on 7 April 2024.

Final services

On the final day of service, Citybus deployed two buses in the NWFB wave livery to carry passengers on this historic route of over 40 years old, with 51155 and 51614 running route 95 for the final time. After the termination of Route 95 services, passengers may have to be re-adapted to the new service patterns, especially for Routes 595 and 95C.

Dumpling Bus: 7-Eleven's Promotion of New Onigiri Selection

In mid-April 2024, a Japanese minibus from a private collector in Hong Kong was leased to 7-Eleven of Dairy Farm to promote their latest product as a pop-up booth, their new 7-Select Onigiri product line that 'originates from Japan'. The minibus, manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus, was an MK type of bus that was used to serve the small and narrow streets of suburban towns of Japan. This eye-catching Japanese bus on Hong Kong Streets, captured many people's attention, specifically bus enthusiasts. Buses, as attractive equipment on the road, have been used for the promotion of new products and services by other firms, as per this example.

The minibus in Mong Kok. Note the 7-Eleven logos on the destination displays.
Driver's seat on the minibus. As opposed to the local buses of Hong Kong, the bus was entirely built out of Japanese requirements.
Interior of the minibus. Except for the decals for the promotion, the labels inside, upon retirement, were preserved.

Shap Sze Heung by Bus: New Bus Services For the Development

On 28 April 2024, three new bus routes serving the development of Shap Sze Heung entered service. As part of the Bus Route Planning Programme of 2023-2024, they serve as the backbone of the Shap Sze Heung and partially Wu Kai Sha.

A BYD B12D of KMB at University Station, running route 287

A Volvo B8L of Citybus at University Station, running route 582

The routing of both routes 287 and 582 would partially coincide with each other, with both routes serving University Station and Shap Sze Heung respectively

These routes are:

Citybus route 581 between Ma On Shan Town Centre and Shap Sze Heung via Wu Kai Sha Station
Citybus route 582 between Pak Shek Kok and Shap Sze Heung via University Station
KMB route 287 (circular) to and from University Station and Shap Sze Heung

In total, there will be seven of these bus routes serving Shap Sze Heung, along with KMB routes 99, 99R, 299X and other GMB routes serving the adjacent Sai Sha Road.

Route origination

In the Bus Route Planning Programme of 2023-2024, five routes are planned for the new development of Shap Sze Heung by Sun Hung Kai Properties, including GO PARK, the core of the development. All of the planned routes were won by Citybus, and this surprised many bus enthusiasts as well as finance KOLs, claiming that as a development of Sun Hung Kai, it should be better to be operated by KMB. The latter even criticized the performance of Citybus on existing routes especially those for Queen's Hill Estate, citing poor services compared to that of KMB.

The two additional routes, one for University Station and the other for Tai Po New Town were later established following opinions on transport connections including interchange with the East Rail Line. KMB would later operate one of the routes as route 287 while Citybus operated the other as route 582.

Routing and fares

Citybus route 581 connects Shap Sze Heung with the nearby Wu Kai Sha and Ma On Shan Town Centre, with HK$4.8 for the full fare. The bus route would also provide a HK$0.6 discount for interchanging at Wu Kai Sha or Ma On Shan Stations.

For Citybus route 582 and KMB route 287, the former serves the majority of Pak Shek Kok and University Station, before a nonstop trip to Sai Sha Road. The latter connects University Station with the Ma On Shan public housing estates of Yiu On and Lee On, along with Kam Ying Court, before proceeding to Shap Sze Heung.

It is worth knowing that Citybus route 582 and KMB route 287 coincide with the routing at University Station and Sai Sha Road, with fares at HK$9.0 (as section fare) and HK$8.9 (as full fare) from University Station respectively. The full fare of route 582 is HK$11.4, along with multiple section fares.

Other Highlights for April 2024

NWFB's Super Olympian gets a splash. On the weekend of 13 and 14 April 2024, the bus, part of the heritage fleet of Citybus, participated in the Kowloon City Songkran festival, one of the biggest celebrations of the Thai community in Hong Kong.
Citybus non-franchised bus routes would be driven by an extra 20 drivers from mainland China, with the first 5 joining the fleet as soon as May 2024.
KMB launched a Tourist Day Pass aimed at tourists on 27 April 2024, providing unlimited bus travel on KMB and Long Win services with a single daily fare of HK$55.
Manulife MPF offered free bus journeys for KMB route 6, as well as Citybus routes 6, 6X, and 260, on 28 April 2024.