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Categories: Transportation in Hong Kong | Buses in Hong Kong | Bus companies in Hong Kong | Bus transit
Kowloon Motor Bus
Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings Limited (KMB) is one of three bus operators in Hong Kong. KMB is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings Limited .
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General
Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is one of the largest privately-owned public bus operators in the world. KMB's fleet consist of over 4,200 buses on 400 routes and staff of over 13,000.
Fare
Like many operators, KMB accepts cash as fare, but there is an increasing trend to electronic fare system. All of KMB's buses are equipped with Octopus smart card payment system.
History
KMB was founded in April 13, 1933 as a result of the reforming of public transportation by the then British colonial government in May 1932. Prior to that point of time, there were several independent bus operators working on the both sides of the Victoria Harbour. KMB franchise allowed for the operation of public omnibus service on the Kowloon side, as well as the New Territories. By June 11, 1933, KMB had a fleet of 106 single deck buses.
The founding members of KMB were:
- Tang Shiu-kin
- William Louey Sui Tak
- Lui Leung
- Tam Woon Tong
- Lam Ming Fan .
By 1940, KMB had 140 single-deckers operating on 17 routes. During World War II, only a handful of buses survive the World War II, and using converted trucks (lorries) as buses.
By the late [1940]]]s, KMB ridership increased with the huge influx of immigration during abd after the war. In 1949 KMB bought 20 Daimler double-deckers from England, making it as the first operator to work with double-deckers in Hong Kong.
Following the opening of the Cross Harbour Tunnel in 1972, a number of cross harbour routes was jointly operated by KMB with China Motor Bus, the sole operator on buses on Hong Kong Island. With the tunnels, KMB service expanded from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. At the same time, KMB experimented with buses operating without a collector (also referred to as One Man Operated ).
In 1975, the first air-conditioned bus in Hong Kong was put into service by KMB. Following the testing of the double-decked air-conditioned bus in early 1980s (Victory and Jubilant), KMB became the world's first air-conditioned double-decker operator. Today 80 per cent of KMB bus fleet are air-conditioned.
In 1996 KMB formed the subsidery Long Win Bus Company on Lantau Link with service to the new Hong Kong International Airport and Tung Chung.
Innovations
KMB is the first franchised bus company in Hong Kong that:
- air-conditioning franchised bus service in early 1975
- first super-low-floor (SLF) double deckers in the world 1997
- ISO 'Quality Systems' throughout its entire organisation 1999
- ISO 9001:2000 certification 2001
Fleet
In 2005 Kowloon Motor Bus had an overall fleet of 4,300 buses with 80 percent as double deckers:
To see more on KMB numbering system, see Kowloon Motor Bus Fleet Numbering
To see more on KMB bus fleet see Kowloon Motor Bus Fleet
Routes
The major service area of the company includes Kowloon and New Territories. It also operates cross-harbour tunnel routes with Hong Kong's other bus operators New World First Bus and Citybus.
KMB operats some 420 routes and are mainly concentrated on Kowloon and the New Territories, with some cross-harbour routes spreading to Hong Kong Island.
The routes are grouped under a logical order, with the hundreds digit being the type of the route, the tens digit being the areal coverage of the route, and the ones being the specific route. There were no leading zeros. English characters are added in front of or behind the route number to differentiate routes of different natures such as Overnight or express, or to differentiate routes of similar routing yet with different destinations.
The system is similar to routes on the opposite side of the harbour, yet the numbers on the two sides are non-exclusive, in such a matter that there are two Bus Route 1 in Hong Kong (and more if you include the minibuses). The boundary is blurring as New World First Bus started to claim routes on the Kowloon Peninsula.
KMB is the sole operator on most of its own routes, but some cross-harbour routes are co-operated with either with Citybus or New World First Bus. No new co-operated routes have been introduced since and no future plans are in the works.
Subsidiary companies and joint ventures
Long Win Bus Company Limited operates franchised bus routes to and from Airport, as well as north Lantau Island.
Sun Bus Limited operates non-franchised bus services in Hong Kong, mainly serving large residential estates (housing complex), employers, and schools.
Other joint ventures include:
- Park Island Transport Company Ltd., offering residential bus and ferry services for Park Island , a residential estate in Ma Wan
- KMB also operates bus service in mainland China, including Beijing, Tianjin, Wuxi and Dalian through joint ventures.
See also
- Transportation in Hong Kong
- List of Chinese companies
- RoadShow (A KMB subsidiary company providing TV broacast on buses)
- Routes list of KMB in 1979
- Full list of super low-floor buses of KMB
- New World First Bus
- China Motor Bus - company lost franchise to First Bus in 1998
- Citybus (Hong Kong)
External links
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