In this issue

New bus routes for Central Kowloon Bypass
AN Bus revives Kowloon GMB route 45M
New bus services for Kong Nga Po

The New Kowloon Shortcut: Central Kowloon Bypass Bus Routes Began Service

The Central Kowloon Bypass (Yau Ma Tei Section) ("the Bypass") was opened at 10 am on 21 December 2025 after eight years of construction. This four-kilometer-long tunnel connects Yau Ma Tei with Kai Tak with the intention of shortening journey times between the two places to just five minutes, as well as relieving traffic congestion in central Kowloon.

For bus operators, this was an opportunity for them to establish new bus routes and reroute existing ones to use the new Bypass. KMB started operating bus routes 33X and 252S, and for Citybus, route A28X, on 22 December; five existing KMB routes to and from Kwun Tong Ferry Pier were also rerouted to use the Bypass.

Route details

33X

As a peak-hour-only service, this KMB-operated bus route connects Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, and Yau Tong using the Bypass, differing from the original bus route 33 that traverses through the busy and congested Lung Cheung Road. Initial services depart from Tsuen Wan West Station at 8:05 am and return from Yau Tong terminus at 5:55 pm. The adult full fares are set at HK$15, although the section fare after passing through the Bypass was halved to HK$7.5.

On the first day of service, KMB deployed two buses to cater to the huge demand of bus enthusiasts riding the bus route, with the morning service to Yau Tong fully packed along the way. The service was even covered by the media, with journalists interviewing passengers about the convenience of the Bypass. For the return leg, there were even more bus enthusiasts joining the journey than originally expected, and both buses used in the service were crowded with bus enthusiasts along with their cameras. Although the bus travelled from Kowloon Bay to Tsuen Wan in just 14 minutes, some bus enthusiasts chatted loudly in the bus compartment, causing someone to repeatedly yell, urging them to keep quiet. The bus driver ultimately used the PA to demand that all passengers keep quiet and calm down.

252S

Also operated by KMB, this bus route utilizes the convenience of the Bypass to reach Tuen Mun and Kwun Tong at a glance. The bus route also served the coastal Castle Peak Road between Tuen Mun and Siu Lam, as well as the bus-bus interchange at Tuen Mun Highway, gaining more passenger sources. Services depart from Tuen Mun at 7 am and from Kwun Tong Ferry Pier at 6 pm, with the adult full fare set at HK$20.8. The first return service from Kwun Tong was also fully packed with bus enthusiasts and other commuters.

A28X

As the only bus route that served the Airport and the Bypass, this Citybus route departs from Tseung Kwan O Station on weekday mornings and uses the Bypass to get to the airport and HZMB Hong Kong Port, reaching the airport as fast as 45 minutes, subject to traffic conditions. Three departures were made at Tseung Kwan O, at 5:50, 6:35, and 7:20 am, with HK$44 as the adult full fare.

Five KMB routes, 258X, 259S, 259X, 268P, and 269S, were also rerouted on 22 December to the new Bypass, providing the express service to the New Territories northwest. In the future, more bus routes will also be rerouted, and new ones will be established to exploit the opportunities of the Bypass to more areas, making the Bypass one of the most important highways in Hong Kong.

Bypass extras

To let citizens experience the new Bypass as well as the Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel, Citybus operated an open-top bus tour, route H795, through both roads. The tour sets off at 9:30 am from Mong Kok on the inaugural day, 21 December, on a pre-booked basis costing HK$138 per person. A certificate was also given to each passenger for joining the tour.

On the morning of the opening, the two buses operating the tour entered the tunnel from the eastbound entrance at Yau Ma Tei, led by police motorcycles, with their upper deck fully loaded. At the same time, two buses, one from KMB and another from Citybus, also entered the westbound tunnel portal from Kowloon Bay. To carry the guests for the inauguration ceremony, an open-top bus of Citybus was wrapped in a special livery for this purpose.

New Operator for Hospital Minibus Route: 45M Resumes Service

On 20 December 2025, on-demand minibus operator AN Bus revived Sham Shui Po GMB route 45M (which replaced the temporary route 75S), with new vehicles being introduced into service, the routing slightly adjusted, and the service hours being extended. The minibus route serves Caritas Medical Centre and Cheung Sha Wan, and this was the first GMB route operated by AN Bus.

Route history

The history of the minibus route dates back to 1998, when the previous operator, Cheng Kee Public Light Bus & Taxi, started operating the minibus route to serve Caritas Medical Centre's main complex and connected it with Cheung Sha Wan's So Uk Estate and Cheung Sha Wan Station. The minibus route was very popular among the elderly, as this was the only minibus route to enter the premises of the hospital.

On 7 October 2024, Cheng Kee suddenly announced that they would cease the service of 45M due to personal reasons, and the Transport Department immediately assigned another operator, Jetland Limited, to operate a temporary route, 75S, with the same fares, routing, and service hours until the new operator can take over the operation. During the first few days of operation, the vehicles' windscreen displayed both routes 45M and 75S to prevent confusion. This news received numerous attention from the community of the area, and the district councillor of the area praised the swift response by both Jetland and the Transport Department to prevent a vacancy of transportation between the hospital, Cheung Sha Wan and Sham Shui Po.

This route was opened for tender on 17 January 2025, with AN Bus being selected as the preferred operator in December 2025, effective from Saturday, 20 December. To improve the service, AN Bus procured two new minibuses with 19 seats, as well as moving an existing minibus from its original fleet and introducing a low-floor minibus from another operator. The new fleet can carry more passengers, and for the first time on the minibus route, can also cater to wheelchair and disabled passengers, as the fleet contains a low-floor minibus. Service hours were also extended to 10:45 pm on weekdays, and 9 pm on weekends and public holidays. The new operator also introduced a new section fare between Cheung Sha Wan Station and the hospital; however, the full fare was raised from HK$4.5 to HK$7.9.

New Bus Services for Kong Nga Po and Hong Kong Police College

On 26 January 2025, KMB started operating special services of bus route 73K and new bus route 277B via Kong Nga Po (Hong Kong Police College). The services will initially operate with three departures for each route serving Kong Nga Po Road, and will expand services when demand increases. These are to accommodate the opening of the Hong Kong Police College in Kong Nga Po, as well as other facilities along Kong Nga Po Road.

The initial services of 277B will depart from Lam Tin Station at 6:10 and 6:20 am and return from Kong Nga Po at 6:20 pm. On the other hand, special services (via Kong Nga Po) of bus route 73K depart from Sheung Shui at 12:35 pm and from Man Kam To at 12:05 and 4:50 pm. For the routing of 277B, it is similar to that of bus route 277E, which also terminates at Lam Tin Station; and the full adult fares of 277B is HK$20.8, with multiple section fares throughout the bus route.

Other highlights for December 2025—January 2026

The HZMB Shuttle Bus' newest fleet, the double-deck MAN CO 26.440 (RR4), was introduced into service in late December 2025. The twelve-strong new fleet was delivered to the operator a month prior, complementing the existing fleet of over 150 buses serving Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macau daily.
Starting on 25 January 2026, all newly registered road vehicles in Hong Kong must have seat belts in every seat. ~~Also, from the same day, all passengers on any vehicle must wear seat belts where provided; this applies to all road vehicles in Hong Kong, including public buses.~~ However, the latter was pulled on 30 January due to wrong legal citations that led to erroneous implementation of the seat belt laws, which only apply to vehicles registered on or after 25 January.

This year (2026) is Cathay Pacific's 80th anniversary. To celebrate this occasion, the airline launched two retrojets, one of which, B-LRJ, flew its debut flight to San Francisco on 6 January 2026. More celebration activities include a tram tour on 25 January at 1 pm, where flight attendants, dressed in uniforms of different eras, showcased their 'classics' to the people on the street. Four tramcars were also wrapped in aircraft liveries of the airline of different eras as well.