The public light bus or minibus is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
transport 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 Delta i ...
. It uses
minibuses to serve areas that
standard Hong Kong bus lines cannot reach efficiently. The vehicles are colloquially known by the
code-switch ' (Van Jái) literally "van-ette".
Depending on the type of vehicle, minibuses carry a maximum of 16 or 19 seated passengers; no
standing passengers are allowed. Minibuses typically offer a faster and more efficient transportation solution due to their small size, limited carrying capacity, frequency and diverse range of routes, although they are generally slightly more expensive than standard buses. The popularity of minibus services in Hong Kong can be attributed to Hong Kong's high population density, as well as their ability to navigate narrow and winding roads which standard buses cannot.
Overview
Minibuses in Hong Kong are licensed either as Green Minibuses (GMBs) or Public Light Buses (PLBs), the former restricted to fixed-fare, fixed-route operation, the latter not so restricted. PLBs substitute red for green on the external roof of the car, although originally the distinction was made by the colour of the stripe around the midsection of the vehicle. Otherwise, the two versions of minibus are identical in appearance, both sporting a predominantly cream-coloured body.
Most minibuses are
Toyota Coasters, but a new and environmentally friendly
Iveco
IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger ...
Daily Green minibus has also been introduced as part of a recent scheme in Hong Kong to increase the quality of the buses. Most of the buses run on
Autogas (
liquefied petroleum gas or LPG). This type of fuel is not only cheaper, but also reduces particulate emissions. The transport commission is making further efforts to reduce emissions by providing incentives for bus drivers to make the switch to even more efficient electric vehicles.
As of 2014, there were 4,350 public minibuses in Hong Kong, of which 3,150 were GMBs and 1,200 were PLBs. The operations of these two types of services are regulated through conditions imposed by the Commissioner for Transport under the passenger service licences (PSLs).
In response to public concerns about minibus speeding, from 2012, all public minibuses were required to install speed alarms activated at 80 km/h. On all public minibuses, a large digital speedometer must also be installed on the interior ceiling, adjacent to the driver's seat, facing passengers, enabling them to monitor the current speed.
History
The beginnings of public minibus service can be traced to a local minibus system () used in the
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 ...
before the 1960s. When, during the
1967 Hong Kong riots
The 1967 Hong Kong riots were large-scale anti-government riots that occurred in Hong Kong during British colonial rule. Beginning as a minor labour dispute, the demonstrations eventually escalated into protests against the British colonial go ...
, workers of the two main franchised public bus services,
China Motor Bus and
Kowloon Motor Bus
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International.
...
, went on
strike bringing buses and
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...
s to a halt,
such services stepped in. One of the routes during the
1967 Hong Kong riots
The 1967 Hong Kong riots were large-scale anti-government riots that occurred in Hong Kong during British colonial rule. Beginning as a minor labour dispute, the demonstrations eventually escalated into protests against the British colonial go ...
was from
Jordan Road Ferry Pier to
Yuen Long, which can be considered as the first minibus route in the
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 ...
.
After 1967, they were allowed to operate in the urban areas of Hong Kong to ease commuter chaos.
[Since 1967: That Was Then (由1967開始) 1968-1969, TVB]
At the time people with mini-vans provided transport to the public for a small charge. The mini-vans were mainly servicing in the
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 ...
areas such as
Yuen Long,
Sheung Shui
Sheung Shui (, literally "Above-water") is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Sheung Shui Town, a part of this area, is part of the Fanling–Sheung Shui New Town in the North District of Hong Kong. Fanling Town is to its southeas ...
and
Fanling
Fanling ( zh, t=粉嶺; also spelled Fan Ling or Fan Leng) is a town in the New Territories East of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the North District. Fanling Town is the main settlement of the Fanling area. The name Fanling is ...
, giving a shuttle bus service to the people living in the rural areas.
The government turned a blind eye even though it was against traffic laws to carry passengers without a passenger service licence. The 1969 legislation legalising the service making some 5,000 licences available for drivers caused some controversy. Some believed it was wrong of the government to issue licences to people who had been profiting from an illegal activity.
The first generation light buses were vans carrying nine passengers. The buses had a black and white chequered stripe and were colloquially referred to as zebra cars (). The chequered stripe is the pattern still used by Lee On NT Taxi Co 利安的士公司 on its fleet of taxi.
This design later gave way to the red-striped vans (colloquially, "red bus" or "14 seater"). Seating increased over the years from 9 to 14, then to 16 and, finally, to 19.
The destination signage at the top front of minibuses did not appear until 1977 and the rear bench seat disappeared altogether with the prevalence of air-conditioning equipment installation.
Usage
A passenger wishing to take a minibus simply
hails the minibus from the street kerb like a taxi. A minibus can generally be hailed down at any point along a route, subject to traffic regulations, although sometimes particular
stops are marked out. To alight from a minibus, a passenger customarily calls out to the driver where they wish to get off, drivers generally acknowledging by simply raising their hand. Tourists have difficulty with this system, as it generally requires both intimate local street knowledge and prior training in Cantonese. Passengers often call out
landmarks, intersecting streets and other distinctive features (such as immediately before or after a
no-stopping zone). Green minibuses may have fixed stops. Some Green minibuses are now equipped with a bell operated similarly to those found on the larger buses, and ringing it indicates that a passenger wishes to alight at the next stop. Calling out to the driver, however, remains popular.
Green minibuses
Green minibuses operate a scheduled service, with fixed routes and fixed fares. There are currently around 280 GMB buses routes with route numbers assigned. The exact fare must be tendered, or payment can be made by
Octopus card. On some routes, passengers may pay a portion of the full fare (called section fare) if they are only travelling a section of the route. Sections are usually distinctive physical landmarks, such as crossing a
tunnel or a
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
.
Red minibuses
Red minibuses (PLBs) are a kind of
share taxi, which run a non-scheduled service, although routes may, in effect, become fixed over time. PLBs may operate anywhere where no special prohibitions apply, without control over routes or fares. The PLB system is intended to be flexible and responsive to market demand.
On some routes red minibuses may run throughout the day (24-hour service), such as
Tai Po-Mong Kok,
Tsuen Wan-
Kwun Tong, Kwun Tong-
Mong Kok,
Yuen Long-
Jordan Road
Jordan Road is a road in Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It spans from the West Kowloon Highway in West Kowloon, through Ferry Point to Gascoigne Road and is a major east-west road in southern Kowloon.
History
Jordan Road, formerly known as Sixth ...
, etc. Other routes may only run as midnight services, such as from Yuen Long-
Causeway Bay, taking over, higher-capacity services, such as franchised bus operators or mass transit railway underground, close.
In most PLBs, passengers pay just before they alight. Though change for cash payment may be available, a small amount may be deducted by the driver for the inconvenience of handling it. Only a few of these red minibuses are equipped to accept payment by Octopus card. Fares and timetables are not regulated by the Government. Thus, at times, PLBs may be more expensive than GMBs.
Destinations displayed on PLBs are sometimes identified by landmarks long gone, such as
Daimaru () in Causeway Bay, the defunct department store. The numbers they display are a legacy of the pre-1973 route-numbering in the New Territories, being the same route numbers used by the large franchised bus operators.
Fleet
Most early public light buses used mostly
British vehicles and carried few passengers as they were vans converted as buses. A few non-British European buses emerged but
Japanese minibuses appeared in 1969 and finally dominated the fleet by the 1980s.
*
Morris J Type 12 seater – 1960s
*
Bedford CA – 1960s
*
Ford Transit Mk I (1965–1978) 9 and 12 seaters – 1970s
*
Nissan Echo
, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bran ...
(all retired and replaced by Civilian in the 1980s)
*
Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa (Currently only Green Minibus)
*
Toyota Coaster (both LPG and diesel)
*
Nissan Civilian (all retired 1990s)
*
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 311 (all retired)
*
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 516CDi
*
Iveco Daily (one introduced in 2004 but already retired)
* GMI Gemini (diesel-electric)
* Golden Dragon XML6701J18
*
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/ midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that ...
SR
Possible new fleet
Some Green Minibus Unions have called for the Government to provide a new fleet of buses which can hold up to 20 people, 1 more person than the current 19 people. They say it could help ease traffic congestion during rush hour and possibly push up profits which may turn away possible fare increases. There are a few of the new buses in service at the moment, but because it is only legal to have 16 passengers in a minibus, the extra area is used as a luggage rack. The Government has responded saying that it would be prudent to first study the implications of such expansion in the context of a Public Transport Strategy Study first, which should take two years ending in 2017 or 2018.
Cultural references
In the film ''
Lost In Time'',
Cecilia Cheung playing the role as a red minibus driver, won the "Best Actress" Awards in the
2004 Hong Kong Film Awards.
See also
*
Bus services in Hong Kong
*
Dollar vans in the New York metropolitan area, an informal network of minibuses and vans with a service quality and history similar to Hong Kong minibuses
*
Marshrutka
*
Share taxi, for more international equivalents to public light buses
*
Transport in Hong Kong
*
Van
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...
References
External links
Hong Kong Taxi & PLB AssociationHong Kong Green Light Bus GuideAMS Public Transport Holdings Limited
{{Authority control
Bus transport in Hong Kong
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