Citybus Limited () is a bus company which provides both franchised and non-franchised service in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. The franchised route network serves

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

, cross-

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

routes (between

and

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

), North Lantau ( Tung Chung and

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...

, Kowloon, New Territories, Shenzhen Bay Port and

Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB) is a bridge–tunnel system consisting of a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel, and four artificial islands. It is both the longest sea crossing and the longest open-sea fixe ...

Hong Kong Port. The non-franchised routes serve mainly City One Sha Tin. It also provides bus rental services and staff bus services for some large companies such as TVB and

China Light and Power CLP Group () and its holding company, CLP Holdings Ltd (), also known as China Light and Power Company, Limited (now CLP Power Hong Kong Ltd., ), is an electricity company in Hong Kong. Incorporated in 1901 as China Light & Power Company Syndi ...

. From 1984 to 2001 the company offered a cross-border service between Hong Kong and

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

using mainly

Leyland Olympian The Leyland Olympian was a 2-axle and 3-axle double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1980 and 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production. Construction The Olympian had the same chassis and running gear as t ...

s, but this was discontinued due to stiff competition. However, in 2007, Citybus began operating route B3, which goes to Shenzhen Bay Port. Since August 2020, the company is wholly owned by Bravo Transport which also owns the third largest operator, New World First Bus (NWFB). Prior to this, both NWFB and Citybus were owned by

NWS Holdings NWS Holdings Limited () is the conglomerate flagship of New World Development. It was established in 2002 when its predecessor, Pacific Ports Company Limited, acquired New World Services Limited from New World Development and the infrastructure a ...

and its predecessors. On 1 July 2023, the NWFB operations will be merged into Citybus.

History

Citybus was founded on 5 August 1979 by former China Motor Bus employee Lyndon Rees with one

Volvo B55 The Volvo Ailsa B55 was a front-engined double-decker bus chassis manufactured in Scotland by Ailsa, Volvo's British subsidiary in which it owned 75%, from 1974 until 1985. Versions The B55 was designed with a front-mounted engine that sti ...

double deck bus, providing a shuttle service for the Hong Kong United Dockyard in

Hung Hom Hung Hom () is an area in the southeast of Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Including the area of Whampoa, Tai Wan, Hok Yuen, Lo Lung Hang and No. 12 Hill are administratively part of the Kowloon City District, with a portion west of Hung Ho ...

. In 1981, it commenced operating a residential bus route between

City One Shatin City One Shatin () is a residential precinct in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. The estate occupies approximately of land. The estate was named City One as it is on Lot 1, Shatin Town. It has a census area population of 24,758 people. C ...

and Kowloon Tong MTR station, which provided a innovative "breakfast bus" service.https://www.bravobus.com.hk/company/history/index.aspx?intLangID=1&textOnly=true New World First Bus In 1982, the United Transport group purchased a 49% shareholding."Hong Kong Buses Part 2: Citybus Limited" '' Fleetline'' issue 248 May 1997 page 91 In 1984, Citybus began a cross-boundary coach service between Hong Kong and

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

with ex National Trabel West and West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive Eastern Coach Works bodied

s. In 1985, the company introduced five air-conditioned Olympian coaches. Since then it has continued to expand its fleet of air-conditioned buses. In the late 1980s, Citybus was purchased by

Tsui Tsin-tong Dr. Tsui Tsin-tong GBS JP (1941 – 2 April 2010) was a Hong Kong entrepreneur, philanthropist and an antique connoisseur. He was also a Hong Kong member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. ...

's CNT Group. It commenced operating residential bus services with 100 new Olympians linking housing estates to

MTR The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is a major public transport network serving :Hong Kong. Operated by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), it consists of heavy rail, light rail, and feeder bus service centred on a 10-line rapid transit network ...

stations. In December 1990, Citybus launched

Capital Citybus Capital Citybus was a bus operator in London operating services under contract to London Regional Transport. History Capital Citybus was established on 29 December 1990, with the purchase of the London tendered bus services of Ensignbus by the ...

in London with an all-yellow livery for the routes in North and East London and a red and yellow livery for central London. This was sold to

FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.First Capital. In 1991, the

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...

awarded Citybus its first franchised route, 12A (Admiralty Tamar Street to Macdonnell Road) on Hong Kong Island, which was originally operated by China Motor Bus and then withdrawn in the 1980s. In September 1993, Citybus took over 26 franchised routes from China Motor Bus after winning a competitive tender. These were branded as

Network 26 Network 26 is a network of 26 bus routes on Hong Kong Island, which were previously operated by China Motor Bus (CMB) before being annexed to Citybus by the Government of Hong Kong on 1 September 1993. Background After CMB's heyday in the 1960s ...

. To operate these a fleet of 101

Leyland Atlantean The Leyland Atlantean is a predominantly double-decker bus A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asi ...

s was purchased from

Singapore Bus Service SBS Transit Limited (SBST or just SBS) () is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation ...

. A further 14 franchised routes were awarded to the company in 1995 without tendering, with the fleet now expanded to more than 500 buses. During these years Citybus expanded its penetration of the Hong Kong Island market pushing nearly all China Motor Bus routes into low profitability. In 1996, with the

Tsing Ma Bridge Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's 16th-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after the two islands it connects, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan. It has two ...

coming into operation and commencement of settlement in the Tung Chung new town, Citybus won another tender to operate 13 new franchised routes serving Tung Chung and the new

. In 1998 the airport Cityflyer service commenced, which is part of Citybus and is solely used for Airport express routes to the city. The Cityflyer service consisted of a series of four routes: A11, A12, A21 and A22, with A10 being added in 2006. Citybus also operates various Overnight Airport routes and Airport Shuttle Routes. In 1998, following the expiry of the franchise of China Motor Bus, a further 12 routes were transferred to Citybus. Citybus's fleet was up to 1,100 buses. The remaining routes of China Motor Bus were transferred to a new operator, New World First Bus. Its business was expanded into mainland China with a joint venture operation in Beijing through Citybus (China) Limited. It was not only Beijing's first joint venture bus operation, but it also marked the introduction of air-conditioned buses for the first time in the capital city. Following the success of this route, a second urban express coach route was introduced in Beijing. However, the services in Beijing were terminated shortly after the disposal of shares of Citybus (China) Limited from Citybus to Kingsman Global Limited, another Hong Kong company, in June 2004. Citybus had also once operated a route (route 658) in

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

. The service is now operated by another company after Citybus disposed all its interest in Citybus (China) Limited. In July 1999, Citybus was purchased by

Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses, express coaches and a tram service in the United Kingdom. History Stagecoach was born out of deregulation of the British express coach market in the early ...

of Scotland. In 2001, the cross-boundary coach service between China and Hong Kong was discontinued. In June 2003, Stagecoach Group sold Citybus to

Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Chow Tai Fook group is a Hong Kong–based, privately-owned conglomerate with holdings in the jewellery, property development, hotel, department store, transportation, energy, telecommunications, port, casino, and other businesses. Despite the ...

, the parent company of the major rival operator New World First Bus. After a series of restructurings, Citybus became a subsidiary of

, which was also the parent company of New World First Bus and

New World First Ferry Sun Ferry Services Company Limited, formerly New World First Ferry Services (in short New World First Ferry, First Ferry or NWFF), is a ferry service company in Hong Kong. The company was established in November 1999, when it took over the eig ...

. In August 2020, along with New World First Bus, Citybus was sold to the Bravo Transport consortium, made up of private equity firm Templewater Bravo, Hong Kong-listed investment holding company Hans Energy and British bus operator

Ascendal Group Ascendal Group is a British public transport company that operates Whippet (bus company), Whippet in Cambridgeshire, the Ascendal Punta Arenas in southern Chile, and has a small shareholding in Hong Kong bus companies of Citybus (Hong Kong), Cit ...

. The founder of Ascendal Group, Adam Leishman, also became the CEO of Bravo Transport. In July 2022, Bravo Transport announced that it would be discontinuing the New World First Bus brand, and the NWFB operations will be merged into Citybus on 1 July 2023 when the bus franchises are renewed.

Services

As of 2015 Citybus operates 108 routes. It currently operates two franchises:

Cityflyer

Cityflyer is a subsidiary of Citybus that primarily operates airport

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

services. The service was started during the opening of the

in 1998. This service is operated exclusively using 110 Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMCs and 3 Alexander Dennis Enviro500s as of 30/5/2019. Citybus is currently in ownership of more Cityflyer-designated vehicles but said vehicles have yet to enter service. The vehicles contain exclusive features that cannot be found on the rest of the fleet, including luggage racks equipped with

Closed-circuit television Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...

, blinds, USB charging ports and more comfortable padded seats with wider legroom

Fleet

As of 2020, the fleet consisted of 1013 buses, of which 950 are Double-decker buses and the remaining 63 are single-decker. Most are from British or European manufacturers, such as Alexander Dennis and Volvo Buses, but most single-deckers have been ordered from mainland Chinese manufacturers including

Youngman Youngman (officially China Youngman Automobile Group Co., Ltd.) () was a Chinese manufacturer of buses and trucks located in Jinhua, Zhejiang province. The company was founded in 2001 by Pang Qingnian and also used to manufacture automobiles ...

and BYD Auto.

Depots

Operations are divided into two main departments, each of which have depots across the areas that they cover. Operation Department One * Chai Wan (CWD) – 38 Sheung on Street * Wong Chuk Hang (WCD) – Next to Aberdeen Police Office * Ocean Park (OPD) -Next to Ocean Park

Station Operation Department Two *

West Kowloon West Kowloon () is the western part of Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong, situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District and Sham Shui Po District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east, Victoria Harbour to the west and the south, and Jorda ...

(WKD) – Hing Wah Street West off West Kowloon Highway *

Siu Ho Wan Siu Ho Wan (, lit. ''small inlet bay'') is a bay on the north shore of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The bay has been largely reclaimed for bus depots. The Airport Express, Tung Chung line of the MTR and the North Lantau Highway run across the recla ...

(SHD) – Sham Fung Road off North Lantau Expressway * Tuen Mun (TMD) – Hoi Wong Road near Tuen Mun Swimming Pool LR Stop * Tung Chung (TCD) – Opposite to

Yat Tung Estate Yat Tung Estate () is a public housing estate in the western part of Tung Chung, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It is divided into Yat Tung (I) Estate and Yat Tung (II) Estate, which collectively have a population of 36,913. Yu Tai Court () is a Ho ...

Gallery

File:Citybus1833 11.JPG,

JNP6120GR on Route 11 File:Citybus9521_75.jpg, Volvo B9TL 11.3m on Route 75 File:Citybus7053 007.JPG,

Alexander Dennis Enviro400 The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor bus, low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the United Kingdom, British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400, Dennis Trident 2, ...

File:ADL-Enviro500-MMC-Citybus-Central.JPG, Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC File:6493 CTB 1 27-01-2020.jpg, Enviro500 MMC in 1979 retro livery File:CTB 8000.JPG, Cityflyer Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC File:Cityflyer.png, Route map of Cityflyer airport services File:HK Central Rumsey Street Terminus Pier Road CityBus 3B Bus stop to Pokfield Road Dr Costa Oct-2012.JPG, Citybus bus stop

References

External links

*
Citybus and New World First Bus
Company website">New World First Bus">Citybus and New World First Bus
Company website
Bus Fan World
{{Bus companies of Hong Kong">state=collapsed Companies formerly listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange">Citybus_(Hong_Kong).html" ;"title="Bus companies of Hong Kong Citybus (Hong Kong)"> Companies formerly listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange NWS Holdings Transport companies established in 1979 1979 establishments in Hong Kong