Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [210]
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BUS
Hong Kong’s extensive bus system offers a bewildering number of routes that will take you just about anywhere in the territory. Since Kowloon and the northern side of Hong Kong Island are so well served by the MTR, most visitors use the buses primarily to explore the southern side of Hong Kong Island and the New Territories.
Although buses pick up and discharge passengers at stops along the way, on Hong Kong Island the most important bus stations are the bus terminus below Exchange Square in Central ( Map; at the time of writing there were plans to move the terminus to Sheung Wan in 2009) and the one at Admiralty ( Map). From these stations you can catch buses to Aberdeen, Repulse Bay, Stanley and other destinations on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. In Kowloon the bus terminal at the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui ( Map) is the most important, with buses to Hung Hom station and points in eastern and western Kowloon. Almost all New Towns in the New Territories are important transport hubs, though Sha Tin is particularly so, with buses travelling as far afield as Sai Kung, Tung Chung and Tuen Mun.
Fares range from $1.90 to $52, depending on the destination and how many sections you travel. Fares for night buses cost from $6.70 to $32.20. Payment is made into a fare box upon entry, so unless you’re carrying an ever-so-convenient Octopus card (Click here), have plenty of coins handy, as the driver does not give change.
Hong Kong’s buses are usually double-deckers. Many buses have easy-to-read LCD displays of road names and stops in Chinese and sometimes in English, and TV screens to entertain (or annoy) you as you roll along. Buses serving the airport and Hung Hom train station have luggage racks.
Hong Kong’s buses are run by half a dozen private operators, carrying more than four million passengers a day. Though it’s much of a muchness as to who’s driving you from A to B, you may want to check routes online.
Citybus ( 2873 0818; www.citybus.com.hk)
Discovery Bay Transportation Services ( 2987 7351; www.hkri.com)
Kowloon Motor Bus Co ( 2745 4466; www.kmb.com.hk)
Long Win Bus Co ( 2261 2791; www.kmb.com.hk)
New Lantao Bus Company ( 2984 9848; www.newlantaobus.com)
New World First Bus Services ( 2136 8888; www.nwfb.com.hk)
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Routes & Schedules
There are no good bus maps and, because buses are run by so many different private operators, there is no longer a comprehensive directory for the whole territory. Your best option is Universal Publications’ Hong Kong Public Transport Atlas($50).
The HKTB has useful leaflets on the major bus routes, and the major bus companies detail all of their routes on their websites.
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Minibuses
Minibuses are vans with no more than 16 seats. They come in two varieties: red and green. The red minibuses are cream-coloured with a red roof or stripe, and they pick up and discharge passengers wherever they are hailed or asked to stop (but not in restricted zones or at busy bus stops). Maxicabs, commonly known as ‘green minibuses’, are also cream-coloured but with a green roof or stripe, and they operate on fixed routes. As with red minibuses there are set stops for green minibuses (where circumstance allows and no traffic restrictions apply); you may also flag one down. There are 4350 minibuses running in the territory. About 40% are red and 60% green.
RED MINIBUSES
Red minibuses can be handy for short distances, such as the trip from Central to Wan Chai or Causeway Bay, and you can be assured of a seat – by law, passengers are not allowed to stand. The destination is displayed on the front in large Chinese characters, usually with a smaller English translation below.
Minibus fares range from $2 to $22. The price to the final destination is displayed on a card propped up on the windscreen, but this