Bus route changes, exhibition and parade of buses - Issue 9 (October 2024)
The Wikimedia Journal of Hong Kong Transport
Issue 9 (October 2024)
In this issue
- KMB and Citybus bus route changes
- End of bus route 281M
- Bus exhibition and parade
Note and disclaimer: External links are included in this issue. The editor is not responsible for the material outside this issue.
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Better Services: September and October Changes for KMB and Citybus Routes
In October 2024, several changes were implemented by KMB and Citybus to improve service levels and make good use of bus operator's resources. This includes establishing new bus routes and altering existing bus routes such as routing and departure times. Here are a selection of changes implemented by the bus operators during September and October:
Citybus Tseung Kwan O route alterations
On 29 September 2024, Citybus altered service hours of routes 790 and 797, with the former route transformed into full-day operations, connecting Tseung Kwan O with Tseung Lam Highway. Service hours from Oscar by the Sea were between 07:00 and 18:00, and from Mody Road from 12:00 to 00:00.
Route 797 was altered to serve Kai Tak on the same day, serving Richland Gardens, Rhythm Gardens, and the Trade and Industry Tower, thus omitting Lung Cheung Road. Normal weekday morning special services will also depart early and will start at LOHAS Park, departing at 07:20.
Route 795X was also changed to serve Tseung Kwan O Station directly after exiting the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel. The Tseung Kwan O-bound serves Kin Ming Estate, and the Kowloon-bound serves Tiu Keng Leng Station. For route 796P, it will not serve LOHAS Park and will instead be shortened to Tseung Kwan O Station.
KMB route changes
263C
KMB's route 263C was extended to the Education University of Hong Kong (EduHK) starting on 30 September 2024, from Tai Po Industrial Estate. Departures bound for Tuen Mun depart five minutes early, at 06:35 and 17:50 respectively. The eastbound journey to EduHK added two intermediate stops and a bus stop was canceled for the Tuen Mun-bound at Tai Po Industrial Estate.
6E
A new bus route, 6E, started operations on 7 October 2024 as a more direct service of route 6P, which started operations in August 2016. However, the latter serves Choi Hung Road and Pik Wan Road, which added some journey times. The new route serves Prince Edward Road East and Lei Yu Mun Road, and the service departs from So Uk Estate at 07:40 and from Lei Yu Mun Estate at 18:05. The services of route 6P were also altered on the commencement of route 6E.
Time to Say Goodbye: Farewell to Bus Route 281M
.jpg "A Volvo B7RLE running route 281M arriving at Hing Keng Estate bus terminus")
.jpg "An Enviro500 MMC arrived at Sun Tin Wai Estate bus terminus as route 281M")
On 18 October 2024, KMB operated its final services of bus route 281M. Many bus enthusiasts gathered on this last day to encounter the very last journeys that once traveled to and from Kowloon Tong Station and Sun Tin Wai Estate. At the termination of the bus route, it was the cheapest service to serve Lion Rock Tunnel.
The bus route was originally formed in 2014 by merging two former bus routes, 81M and 88M, as a connecting service provided for Hing Keng residents as a means to connect to the MTR, before the opening of the MTR Tuen Ma Line (Phase 1) in 2020. Since then, passenger numbers sharply decreased, and the bus route was altered to become a peak-hour service. Even so, its sister route 281 shuttles between Sun Tin Wai and Tai Wai Station largely coincided with the routing of route 281M, and as most passengers mainly use both routes to get to the nearby Tai Wai, this has made the latter almost useless. These contributed to the end of 281M as a result of low ridership.
Memories Returned to Life: Bus Parade and Exhibition
.jpg "Event banner of the bus parade and exhibition")
From 19 to 22 October 2024, a bus exhibition was held by the Transport Department at Victoria Park, bringing old buses to the public that used to make the history of public transportation. All sessions of the exhibition were fully booked amid high demand. There was also a bus parade from Victoria Park to Man Kwong Street (near Central Ferry Piers), that invited people along to be involved in a historic journey of buses. Supported by RTHK, the event is part of Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China.
Bus parade
The event kicks off at 11:00 on 19 October with a fleet of eight buses joining a parade from Victoria Park to Man Kwong Street. An open-top bus with the national day theme (an Enviro500 with fleet number 50901) leads the parade, via Gordon Road, King's Road, Causeway Road, Hennessy Road, Fleming Road, and Lung Wo Road; six kilometers in length. The public can encounter and take photos en route, with the best viewing places being at Hennessy Road near Jardine's Bazaar in Causeway Bay, Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai, and the destination at Central Ferry Piers, sharing the joy of the National Day.
The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Lam Sai Hung, inaugurated the parade and exhibition with other 750 attended guests including Frankie Yick and Ben Chan, both members of the Legislative Council; as well as the officials of the three bus operators. During the opening speech, Lam emphasized that buses "not only fulfilled the daily means of Hong Kong citizen's commuting needs but also contributed to the development of the city" and that "the Motherland's rapid advancement in the development in the scope of new energy technologies has broadened the selection of new energy public transportation in Hong Kong".
The eight buses that joined the parade, in running order, were:
- Citybus' open-top bus 50901, wrapped with National Day livery and carried delegates and guests on the parade
- KMB's non-air-conditioned Dennis Dragon S3N370, which was decommissioned in 2011
- Citybus' Weisheit WSD6121BR3FCEV, which carried passengers since February 2024 as 59200
- NLB's Enviro400 in retro livery, joined traffic in 2018 as AD01
- Citybus' Weisheit WSD6121BR1EV, entered service in 2022 as 8910 (now 59100)
- KMB's first double-decker low-floor air-conditioned bus, Dennis Trident ATR1, served between 1997 and 2015
- A Volvo B8L of Citybus in the retro livery of the early 1990s as 52108, commissioned in 2019 as 8807
- KMB's Daimler CVG6 front-engined double-decker bus D430, forming the backbone of KMB between the 1970s and the 1980s in cross-harbor bus routes
Bus Exhibition
The major part of the event was the bus exhibition held in Victoria Park's football fields 4 and 5. KMB, Citybus, and NLB showcased their famous buses that were part of the history of road transportation, which formed the largest bus exhibition in Hong Kong to date. Registration and booking are required for the event, and all sessions were fully booked due to high popularity.
KMB put five double-decker buses on static display, including:
- One of Hong Kong's first double-decker buses, the Daimler CVG5 (assigned D26 and numbered 4961)
- A 12-meter-long three-door Dennis Dragon (assigned 3N24)
- KMB's last step-access air-conditioned Dennis Dragon (with three-by-two seating configuration on the upper deck, assigned ADS143)
- KMB's last ALX500-bodied Volvo Super Olympian, which was retired from service in March 2023 (assigned ASV100)
- One of KMB's BYD B12D battery-electric buses (assigned BED1), in passenger service since March 2024
.jpg "A fleet of buses of Citybus on display at Victoria Park")
For Citybus, the bus operator put a Leyland Atlantean (fleet number 633), a Leyland Olympian (fleet number 178), a Leyland Fleetline (in CMB livery with NWFB logo stickers, fleet number SF3) and a Weisheit WSD6121BR3FCEV on display. NLB would contribute to the event with a MAN RR8 high-floor bus (assigned MN128) displayed in its retro livery.
Additionally, miniature bus models, old staff uniforms, tickets, and other assets of the bus operators were also on display alongside photo-taking spots simulating bus drivers and passengers and neon-light installations.
The visitors were very interested and attracted to the exhibition. A bus enthusiast expressed his opinion to Cable News that he wanted to experience non-air-conditioned buses as it would be different, in terms of feeling, to that of modern air-conditioned buses. Another visitor recalled that he used to commute on non-air-conditioned buses in his childhood and that he often ended up sweating when he got off the bus, which was not the case with today's buses.
During the first day of the exhibition, a number of bus models in acrylic boxes housed in an exhibit installation deformed under the sun and extreme heat. The installation was since removed from the venue.
Event Gallery
.jpg "Old Citybus bus stop signs on display")
.jpg "Old KMB staff uniforms on display")
.jpg "Old equipment of KMB on display")
.jpg "Related books and bus models on display")
.jpg "Citybus coinbox on display")
Other highlights for October 2024
- Citybus offered free rides on 1 October 2024 for both Weisheit WSD6121BR1EV and WSD6121BR3FCEV running cross-harbour bus route 101. The latter vehicle will run on that route for the rest of October, pending operational requirements.
- KMB started its weekend pet bus service (operated by Sun Bus) on 13 October 2024 with five routes serving Ma Wan, Sha Tin, Pak Shek Kok, Tsuen Wan, West Kowloon Cultural District, and Sai Kung, aiming to create a pet-inclusive society and broaden pet-owners horizons with their pets.
- To make way for the MTR Tung Chung Line extension project, train services on the Line between Sunny Bay Station and Tung Chung Station would end two hours early, on 26 October 2024. The last train from Tung Chung to Hong Kong departs on that day at 23:01 while the last train from Hong Kong to Tung Chung departs at 23:07. The rail operator will provide free shuttle bus services to fill the gap of the suspension of rail services.
