Kowloon Motor Bus is one of the major bus companies serving the island of Hong Kong. KMB operates almost 400 bus routes and maintains a fleet of almost 4,000 buses. KMB has the distinction of being the first bus company to introduce common industry standards into the Hong Kong bus service.

Quick Facts:

Type: Private

Fleet Size: 3,668 Double and Single Decker buses.

Routes: 392 Bus Routes, Route 960X is the longest at 50.8 Km, 71B and 238M are the shortest at only 2.3 Km

Manufacturer: KMB operates buses manufactured by; Alexander Dennis (UK), Volvo (Sweden), Scania (Sweden), Leyland (UK) Neoplan and MAN (Germany).

Fare Collection: The contactless card payment system in Hong Kong is called the Octopus Card. It differs from other card types in that many retail outlets, gas stations and stores also accept payment using this card, In some ways eliminating the need for a debit card.

Livery: KMB buses were distinctly painted in a Cream/Dark Red livery. Older Buses were painted White/Red. All new buses are painted champagne gold.

Innovations: KMB was the first bus company in Hong Kong to offer Air Conditioned buses on their single decker buses and their double deckers as well. KMB equips their buses with "Muti Media On Board" devices, which are in essence TV screens that play TV shows and TV Advertisments. This is the first system of its type deployed on a bus mass transit system.

Driving Dynamics: Hong Kong is a large busy city with many cars and many more pedestrians. A bus driver must have a heightened level of alertness to ensure the safety of the passengers and other road users. As a bus driver myself i know of these challenges, but in Hong Kong The story is much more complex. Some areas buses are given their own lane while in other areas they must yield. There are pediestrians everywhere I imagine drivers in HK are much more alert because of this.

I am not familliar with the driving laws there but they drive on the left side of the road in true Commonwealth style. One mark of a good driver is being able to silence the distractions of the road. Hong Kong's built up cities provide much to look at. How Bus drivers here are able to tune it out is facinating to me. The Sidewalks in Hong Kong are always bustiling and full of people, how a driver is able to remember where they are is also interesting. Double deckers not being widely used in my company i am unsure how they handle but the added capacity surely must be a bonus. At an average of 14 ft tall this must mean there arent that many bridges or low overpasses to worry about.

Bus Stops: As public transit in Hong Kong is privatised, the independant companies have reign over their own routes and stop placement design. KMB Bus Stops are Red and Circular and stops are often serviced by more than one route.