Hong Kong Public Light Buses

Hong Kong Public Light Buses 香港小型巴士

Light Bus 16 to Chai Wan MTR. — Hong Kong Green Light Bus 16 to Chai Wan MTR

Public Light Buses are known as Maxicabs or Green Minibuses (GMB)
Carry a maximum of 19 passengers
Operate on fixed routes with fixed fares on a timetable
Private Light Buses (PLBs) are red; operate on routes that are not always fixed with no set "stops"

Hong Kong Light Buses, Hong Kong, China. — Hong Kong Green Light Bus

Public light buses (minibuses) now carry 19 people, up from 16. No standing inside the bus is allowed. There are two types: green and red according to the color of the roof.

Green Light Buses

Green light buses operate on fixed routes with fixed prices like normal Hong Kong buses. The exact fare or an Octopus Card is necessary - pay as you get on.

In 2020, there were 362 main routes and 193 supplementary routes, with a total of 3,341 buses in operation on Hong Kong's busy streets.

Red Minibuses congregate in Mongkok. — Red Minibuses tend to congregate in the Mongkok district

Red Light Buses

Red light buses operate on routes that are not always fixed and passengers can alight by calling out to the driver to stop. Pay as you get off. Change for small notes can be given.

Red Light Buses can be hailed on the street like a taxi (but they won't always stop). Unlike green light bus drivers, red light bus drivers are not paid a salary but are free agents who rent the vehicles for a shift.

Mongkok is a major congregation point for red light buses.

Using A Light Bus

Some of Hong Kong's Light Buses run 24 hours. Private Light Buses in particular often run late at night picking up from entertainment areas like Lan Kwai Fong.

Many of the buses are now LPG vehicles, with plans to phase in electric buses in future. Most of the buses carry advertising covering the entire vehicle.

By law passengers are obliged to wear seat belts on Hong Kong's Public Light Buses. PLBs must have a speed limiter fitted for 80 km/h and the driver must carry ID.

When you want to get off the bus call out to the driver: "Next stop please!" or simply yau lok ("get off") in Cantonese.

According to the Hong Kong Transport Department as reported on the BBC, between 2005 and 2015, minibuses were involved in 12,237 road accidents.

History

The use of light buses in Hong Kong goes back to the 1960s when the major bus companies went on strike during a spill-over from the Cultural Revolution and private minibuses stepped in to fill the void.