History of bus transport in Hong Kong
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The history of bus transport in Hong Kong began with the introduction of the first bus routes in the 1920s.
History
1920s: The beginnings
Omnibus Transport in Hong Kong dates from the beginning of the last century, and at the end of 1920s, several operators were managing a number of bus routes on both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The list of operators included Kowloon Motor Bus, China Motor Bus, and even the Hong Kong Tramways, serving the Happy Valley area.
However, in 1933, bus services were franchised. Rights were given to Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) on the North side, and China Motor Bus (CMB) on the Island. Other bus operators had to cease operations and their buses were sold to the franchised bus operators.
1930s: Pre-war Franchise
Records relating to the period before 1930s are scarce due to heavy bombing by the Japanese, but some photographic and written evidence show that an extensive network of buses served both sides of the harbour. The routes covered the most remote areas of the territory at that time, such as Yuen Long, Fanling and Stanley. Buses of various British makes, such as Leyland, Thornycroft and Daimler were present in significant numbers around the territory.
1940s: During the War
During the occupation, the Japanese tried to restore bus services to normal levels but failed, since there was no decent supply of fuel and stock. Due to the reduced resources and bus usage, routes were reduced progressively and horse-driven carts were reintroduced to the territory.
1950s: Post-war Expansion, Part one
When the British returned, they put the restoration of public transport to the highest priority. Before new buses were shipped to Hong Kong, both KMB and CMB had to use modified trucks instead of proper buses to transport passengers. These trucks were phased out by the end of the 1950s.
The return of large number of people to Hong Kong after the war, and people who wanted to escape from the communists, caused a population boom. As a result, the demand for public transport skyrocketed and larger buses became necessary. Kowloon Motor Bus received 20 Daimler double-decker buses in 1949 as a trial. They turned out to be an unparallel success, just like the AEC Regents (RT) in London. More than 1,000 buses in various specifications, including the Fleetlines, were to follow until 1970s.
China Motor Bus chose to use more single-deck buses instead. This was because the Gardner-engined double-deckers did not perform satisfactorily given the hilly terrain, and population levels on the island were more steady and predictable. The company parted up with Guy in Wolverhampton, England and became the second major buyer of Guy Arab buses after Wolverhampton Transport.
1960s: Post-war Expansion, Part two
A comparison the buses on both sides of the harbour in the 1960s: The KMB buses were larger in capacity with standard engines, while those of CMB were small yet over-powered. While KMB went for 34-foot double-decker buses, CMB chose to buy 36-foot version of Guy Arab, but with only 60% of the capacity of a 34-footer.
The growth of Hong Kong seemed to be out of control and squatter settlements sprang up everywhere. Areas like Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong and Chai Wan were developed at a rate that is unparalleled in any other British colony. The bus network had to grow accordingly. KMB started to call for double-deckers longer than 30 feet (after the British lack of regulations); to their dismay, Daimler did not respond and KMB had to buy a number of 34-footers from AEC to provide a decent level of service. Daimler finally regained ground by introducing the 34-foot Daimler with the Garnder 6LX engine. This model found favour of KMB, which bought about 300 of them. Soon, these behemoths (at their time) were dominating the Kowloon streets, and replaced older Daimlers in outer areas, as well as the Cross-Harbour Tunnel later on.
Meanwhile, CMB was tackling an equally big problem. On routes 8 and 8A (later became route 82), buses have to travel up a hill, which includes covering a 1-km road with a gradient of 1:10. However, the small Tilling-Stevens and the Arabs which the CMB deployed were not up to the challenge due to the large population of Chai Wan, and the large double-deckers used by CMB did not have the required engine power. Finally CMB ordered 40 36-foot single-deck buses to shift the working crowds, after considering their early success in Africa. Those single-deckers, however, suffered from the same problem as their African siblings: They were too long, with a 10-foot overhang, 22-foot wheelbase and no upper deck to provide additional strength. The buses literally bent and their tail ends swung up and down. They were used for no longer than 10 years before being re-bodied and cut down to standard 30-foot length.
At that time, even with larger buses and increased ridership, costs were still high. On KMB buses, there were 3 people employed on each bus - a driver, a fare collector and the last person supervised boarding and alighting. CMB buses had two crew on each bus, with the fare collector and the door-keeper being the same person. This redundancy of manpower was soon deemed unacceptable and the bus companies replaced manual doors or open platforms with pneumatic doors, which eliminated the need for a door-keeper. However, there were no layoffs, as both bus companies were expanding and extra staff were re-deployed on new routes.
1967 Riot and the PLB Detour
The outbreak of 1967 riots halted the bus services because of lack of operators in 1967. The service resumed in 1968, but this interruption gave rise to illegal public passenger service, which later became Public Light Bus.
In 1968, two new towns, Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan, started flourishing and KMB extended its service by opening a new route 40 to and fro these two towns.
Early 1970s: The Tunnels and the Towns in OMO, in joint forces with the Arabs on the peak
In 1971, CMB tested by operating a bus with one man by eliminating the post of the fare collector. Passenger paid the fare by putting coins in a collection box.
In August 1972, Cross Harbour Tunnel connected Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. KMB and CMB joinly operated 3 new routes servicing both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The three routes are:
- 101: Kwun Tong (Yue Man Square) - Kennedy Town,
- 102: Lai Chi Kok - Shau Kei Wan, and
- 103: Wang Tau Hom - Pokfield Road
Late 1970s: The Fleetline and the Victory
Early 1980s: Race to the 3-axler, Dragons chasing the Mercedes
Late 1980s: It's too cool to be in a Olympian, yet cooler in a Londoner
Early 1990s: Interchanging when one saw the other's demise
This section will talk about the Advent of Bus-Bus interchange in Hong Kong, an old concept elsewhere but new in Hong Kong. It will also talk about the start of the "Culling" of CMB
Late 1990s: Survival of the Fittest
Following a number of protests, as well as some (unfounded?) criticisms by the Legislative Council councillors, China Motor Bus was forced to hand 26 routes to Citybus in 1993, and another 14 routes in 1995. The public and the government were still not satisfied, however. Finally, CMB's bus franchise was terminated in 1998, and its routes went to NWFB, Citybus and KMB.
This section will comprise the start of the 2nd generation SLFs, like the Trident or the B10TLs; It will also include the end of the Victories and Fleetlines.
Early 2000s: On the Edge, to the scrapyard
This section is about the 2 1/2 and 3rd generation SLFs, including the Centroliner, the K94UB, the then Transbus E500 and the B9s. It shall also talk about the end of the 2nd generation rear-engined buses.
