Public light bus

Public light bus
A green public minibus awaiting at the station at Tsim Sha Tsui
Chinese	公共小型巴士
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Gōnggòng xiǎoxíng bāshì Yue: Cantonese Jyutping gong1 gong6 siu2 ying4 baa1 si2
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	小巴
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiǎo bā Yue: Cantonese Jyutping siu2 baa1

A new style of minibus stops seen on Robinson Road in the Mid-levels of Hong Kong.

A Public light bus is a common public mode of transport in Hong Kong. It mainly serves the area that standard bus lines cannot reach as efficiently. It is also colloquially known as a minibus or a van.

Minibuses carry a maximum of 16 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 public light bus services in Hong Kong is due to the high population densities which are needed to support the extensive network of minibus routes.

Overview

There are two types of public light minibus, Green minibuses and Red minibuses. Both types have a cream coloured body, the distinguishing feature being the colour of the external roof, and the type of service that the colour denotes. In the past, the minibuses had a band of red or green painted around the body instead of colouring the roof.

Most of the minibus are Toyota Coasters, but a new and environmentally friendly Iveco Daily Green minibus has also been introduced to reduce air pollution. Most of the buses run on Autogas (liquefied petroleum gas or LPG). This type of fuel is not only cheaper, but also reduces 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.

By 2005, there are 4,350 public light buses in Hong Kong, of which 1,660 are red minibuses (RMBs) and 2,690 are green minibuses (GMBs). The operations of these two types of services are regulated through conditions imposed by the Commissioner for Transport under the passenger service licences (PSLs).

Red minibus travelling from Causeway Bay to Kennedy Town.

History

The Public light bus service was "created" as a result of the 1967 Hong Kong riots. China Motor Bus and Kowloon Motor Bus encouraging their workers to go on strike. During the riot, bus and tram services were not available and the city ground to a halt.

At the time people with mini-vans provided transport to the public for a small charge. The government turned a blind-eye on this issue, even though it was against traffic laws to transport passengers without a passenger service licence. The 1969 legislation legalising of the services made some 5,000 licences available for drivers had some controversy. Some believed it was wrong of the government to issue licences to people who had been profiting from an illegal activity.

Usage

A passenger wishing to get on 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. The driver then raises his hand to acknowledge him. Tourists are often confused by the calling system, as one must know the route somewhat well to know when to call. Passengers often call out landmarks, intersecting streets and other distinctive features (such as immediately before or after a no-stopping zone). 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 requests the next stop. However, calling out to the driver is still the dominant method of letting the driver know that a passenger wishes to get off the minibus.

Green minibuses

Green minibuses operate a scheduled service, with fixed routes and fixed fares. There are currently around 250 green public light 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.

Red minibuses

Red minibuses run a non-scheduled service, although many routes may in effect become fixed over time. Red minibuses may operate anywhere where no special prohibitions apply, without control over routes or fares. The operation of red minibuses provides services according to market demand.

On some routes red minibuses may run through the whole day (24-hour service), such as Tai Po-Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan-Kwun Tong, Kwun Tong-Mong Kok, Yuen Long-Jordan Road etc. Other routes may only run as midnight services, such as from Yuen Long-Causeway Bay.

In most red minibuses, passengers pay just before they alight, and change for cash payment may be available, or may have a small amount deducted off the amount of change for the inconvenience (of giving change). Only a few red minibuses are equipped to accept payment by Octopus card. Red minibuses' fares and timetables are not regulated by the Government, and so, may occasionally be more expensive than their Green counterparts.

When travelling on a red minibus, the destination shown on the destination box may be an historical name of a place or a building which no longer exists, such as "官塘" (Nowadays Kwun Tong, lit. "Officials' pond") and "大丸" (Previous Japanese-owned department stores "Daimaru"). In the New Territories, they usually display Sheung Shui, Castle Peak Road (and other busy roads), or Tai Po, etc, and sometimes carry a number. This number is a legacy of the pre-1973 route numbering in the New Territories. In those days red minibuses would carry a number indicating that it would travel on essentially the same route as bigger buses with that route number.

Fleet

The newest Toyota LPG Coaster.

• Toyota Coaster (both LPG and diesel)
• Iveco Daily (all retired)
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 311 (all retired)
• Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa
• Nissan Civilian (all retired)
• Nissan Echo (all retired)

Pros and cons of public light buses

Red minibuses

As routes are not tightly regulated, the flexibility of routes is higher than green minibuses, since drivers may choose the optimum route to travel.

The greatest problem are with fares. As the minibuses do not have fixed fares, routes and timetables, the fluctuations in fares can be quite large. Some routes may reduce their fares to an unreasonable price in order to win more passengers, but when demand increases (e.g. during typhoons, when regulated buses and minibuses services are suspended), they can make increases in fares without limitation. For example, the route from Aberdeen to Wah Fu Estate could increase from $3 to $30 (probably equivalent to the fare travelled on a taxi), and the route from Jordan Road to Yuen Long could increase to $80, such acts have resulted in complaints from passengers.

Another issue is speeding. From late at night to the early morning, in order to make more rounds during their shifts to earn more, drivers may risk speeding. A typically long journey can be dramatically reduced. The government is trying to counter this by installing large, passenger-visible speedometers inside some minivans. This may be effective in some areas, however on the most part, most passengers do not seem to care if not even prefer the light buses to speed.

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

• Van
• Buses in Hong Kong
• Transport in Hong Kong

External links

• Hong Kong Taxi & PLB Association
• Hong Kong Green Light Bus Guide
• AMS Public Transport Holdings Limited
• List of Green Light Bus Routes by Territory