The Awesome Bus Culture in Hong Kong
30+ Types of Buses seen in Hong Kong
Discover the Real Hong Kong with Jamie
Hong Kong - A City of 20,000+ Buses
Public Transport in Hong Kong
Buses in Hong Kong - The Ultimate Introduction to Bus Categories
I am a fairly decent photographer but in no shape or form am I a professional so to speak, I like to take photographs and have a great camera and I have now amassed over 168,000 images of Hong Kong and 59 + million views, Hong Kong is my passion and I am aiming for a revised figure of around 300,000 images within the next 5 years (ish)
My primary interest has always been cars and car licence plates and 5 years ago I think I had less than 100 bus images and then something clicked (sorry!) and I turned my interest to trucks first and now buses which are pretty much very important in the Public Transport Infrastructure in Hong Kong and wow, what a fascinating bus culture we have and more importantly not many people in Hong Kong where taking and posting images of buses unless we are talking about the franchised buses from KMB and Citybus, franchised buses seem to have a cult following in Hong Kong, mainly young guys with fancy camera’s with 2ft lenses!
As of May 2024 I have only seen 40 - 50 of the 100% Electric buses on the road (and they tend to be green in colour), I doubt these will become mainstream anytime soon given the huge investment needed to replace all the current buses and set up the EV Charging infrastructure and to complicate matters, hydrogen fuelled buses are being trialled in Hong Kong and a Hydrogen supplier has invested in one of our major franchised bus companies……
I always like to remind myself of the importance of buses in Hong Kong I have been riding buses pretty much daily since 1972, people take them for granted and probably do not give the drivers (sorry, Bus Captains) a moments thought and yet without them Hong Kong would literally grind to a halt within an hour, they are the unsung heroes of public transport along with our Truck drivers.
Amazingly the Bus companies work hand in hand with the MTR Corp (Subway) our public transport system really is one of the best in the world for a major city.
Whilst the bus images show the types of bus categories they are not in any particular order and there can be multiple images for some categories, simply because I like the image!
Public Transport in Hong Kong
Below are images of the Main Bus Category Types in Hong Kong
Public Transport in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Transport - Buses | All types
The number of buses registered + licenced in Hong Kong seems to fluctuate between 18,000 - 22,000 vehicles and presumably new buses registered are offset by old buses being retired or sold over the border in China. (Source - The Transport Department, Hong Kong Government)
Bus services in Hong Kong have to be amongst the best of all major cities in the World.
An excellent source of information is the Hong Kong Government | Transport Department Website
All Major Franchised Public Bus Services using mainly brand new double decker buses and all of them are testing single decker and double decker 100% electric buses for future use as well as exploring hydrogen as a fuel for buses.
Citybus
Kowloon Motor Bus | KMB
Long Win Motor Bus | LWB
New Lantao Bus | NLB
***New World First Bus | NWFB
Note: as of mid 2020 Citybus and NWFB were sold to a Private Equity Fund and in July 2022 New World First Bus merged into the Citybus operation and all buses will have the Citybus colours in due course, in the interim buses now have the Citybus logo and will now be placed in the Citybus album
I recall vividly in the early 1990's the ancient "hot dog buses" which were still be being used by KMB and China Motor Bus, no air conditioning - we have come a long way since then and the quick change to retiring ancient buses started with the demise of China Motor Bus (effectively replaced by Citybus) in the mid 1990's. KMB established in 1933 are replacing all their older buses with brand spanking new double deckers in their iconic red livery - fantastic!
Non - Franchised Public Bus Services using double decker and single decker buses (feeder services)
Mass Transit Railway | MTR
All Major Franchised Public Minibus Services (PLB) seating 16 or 19 people
Franchised Public Light Bus Red Top
Franchised Public Light Bus Green Top
Privately Owned Buses
Toyota seems to be the preferred brand for privately owned small and medium sized buses.
Resident Services Buses
School Buses
Tour Buses
Misc. Buses for any type of charter | hire too numerous to mention including cross border buses.
One of the largest privately owned companies is Kwoon Chung Bus Company who also offer Non Franchised and Franchised Bus Services through it‛s subsidiary New Lantao Bus
Many privately owned bus companies have contracts with the Hong Kong Government.
Any Government OWNED and operated vehicle in this section (such as Correctional Services Buses) have a licence plate starting AM and any Chinese Military Vehicle has a licence plate starting ZG and naturally some of these vehicles have personalized licence plates which they buy at Government Auction!
J3 Group Hong Kong
J3 Consultants Hong Kong | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong
J3 Consultants Private Hong Kong Experience is tailored for individuals who prefer to explore Hong Kong independently, without joining any guided tours.
This unique experience offers an authentic insight into the real Hong Kong, providing a deeper understanding of the city's culture, history, and local way of life.
Led by Jamie, a dedicated Hong Kong specialist and resident for 52 years, the experience covers many aspects of Hong Kong's identity, spanning its time under both British and Chinese rule.
Cultural Tourism at it’s very best
J3 Private Hong Kong Experiences
You want to learn about the REAL Hong Kong from a local host
How local do you want to get?
You have come to the right place.
Jamie, your friend in Hong Kong
52 years living in Hong Kong, our family arrived on January 2nd 1972
I have lived here for 25 years under British Rule, 27 years under Chinese Rule
I have 45 years of Business Consultancy experience in Hong Kong
My wife is a local & has lived her entire life in Hong Kong, her first language is Cantonese
We have 3 Adult sons all born and educated in Hong Kong, 2 still live in Hong Kong
I pioneered the Private Tour Industry in Hong Kong in 2010
2,324 completed award winning Private Tours of Hong Kong from 2011 - 2020
……and yes, I am a bit of an expert on the Hong Kong car culture!