The Wikimedia Journal of Hong Kong Transport
Issue 4 (May 2024)

In this issue

Largest electric bus enters service
New open-top fleet for Citybus

Milestone for KMB: New Double-Decker Electric Bus Joins Cross-Harbour Bus Service

AED1 at North Point, after the end of its second southbound journey from So Uk Estate

On 11 May 2024, KMB rolled out its latest electric bus into passenger service, the Alexander Dennis Enviro500EV, on cross-harbour bus route 112. The bus, carrying the fleet number AED1 (plate number ZC6546), started its maiden journey to North Point (Pak Fuk Road) at 11:50 (UTC+8) in the morning from So Uk Estate. For the first service of this bus, KMB presented commemorative souvenirs to the passengers.

The commencement of passenger service of this bus makes it the third type of a double-decker electric bus to carry passengers, after Weisheit WSD6121BR1EV‎ in 2022 and BYD B12D in 2023; as well as the fourth type of double-decker new energy bus to enter passenger service after Weisheit WSD6121BR3FCEV‎ entered service in February 2024.

The record-breaking electric bus

AED1 at Causeway Road, on its first return service to So Uk Estate

The bus that debuted on the day was certified and registered after the type approval by the Transport Department on 1 March 2024, with a capacity of 55 upper deck seating, 27 lower deck seating, 2 wheelchair bays, and 40 standing passengers. This gives a total capacity of 122 passengers, a record for any new energy buses in Hong Kong. Not only has the latest safety features such as a drive fatigue monitoring system and drive assistance system built-in, but it also carries the bus manufacturer's new futuristic exterior look, blended with the electric green-colored bus body to emphasize the zero-emission feature of the bus, along with the KMB logo and cursive printouts of "Heartbeat of the City" (with city skyline) and "Green is Good".

Inside the bus, the configuration is similar to the diesel counterparts which started carrying passengers in recent years. The seating chosen for this bus is Vogel Revo S, a seat that was widely used by KMB and Long Win buses a decade ago. The electrically powered air conditioning unit is in charge of providing a comfortable riding experience for passengers, in place of the old units being directly powered by the diesel engine. USB charge points and 5G Wi-Fi are also available on board the bus. As a tradition for new purchases of double-decker buses for KMB and Long Win, the bus had equipped with solar panels on the roof structure, to generate electricity for most of the onboard systems.

First journey

BED23 (left) and AED1 (right) before the inaugural run to North Point at So Uk Estate

As usual for the first run of a bus type, many bus enthusiasts have already gathered at So Uk Estate with smartphones and tablets and waited there for many hours to secure a seat on the first passenger service of that bus. The debuting electric bus entered the bus terminus at 9:30 in the morning. Before the run, KMB arranged for another electric double-decker counterpart, a BYD B12D in KMB's 91st anniversary livery, to park side-by-side with that bus, and held a press briefing. In the briefing, the representatives announced that the new bus type would run on cross-harbour bus routes 171, 671, 900, 904, and Lion Rock Tunnel and Tate's Cairn Tunnel bus routes as well. For the waiting passengers, they received a certificate and a knitted bag with the new electric double-decker bus printed. The bus departed from So Uk Estate at 11:50 on time, fully packed with passengers. At 12:34 noon, the bus exited the south portal of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel for the first time in history with passengers on board.

With Enviro500EV joining the KMB fleet, it broke the monopoly of BYD B12D as the sole electric double-decker bus fleet of KMB, the latter of which was held 10 months since its introduction on route 213M back on 30 July 2023. As of 1 March 2024, KMB had already contained more than 80 electric buses in its fleet, the largest of any public bus operator in Hong Kong, and will continue to expand with the remainder entering passenger services in the coming months ahead. The type's introduction into service also sets a milestone for KMB to get nearer to the target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

What's more

Another customer for the type, MTR Bus, already had one similar vehicle in their fleet, pending to enter service as registration was made on 29 April 2024. The bus also had glass windows next to the stairs, and solar panels on the roof.

More pictures

Bus enthusiasts gather at the North Point terminus of Pak Fuk Road before the arrival of the second southbound service of AED1
Fully loaded with bus enthusiasts, the second southbound service of AED1 concludes with a left turn into Pak Fuk Road
BED23 (KMB 91st anniversary livery) also joins the route 112 service on the day that AED1 debuts, as seen here at North Point loading passengers

New Family Members for Citybus Open-top Fleet: Breakthrough Features and Striking Look

59908 at Hankow Road. This one, along with 59907, does not have the sliding windows installed on the upper deck windows, as opposed to 59909.

Citybus introduced three new half-open-top buses onto their sightseeing bus routes H1 and H2 series on 1 May 2024, in time to serve the wave of tourists flowing from mainland China during the golden week. The buses were three modified Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC buses, with parts of the rooftop removed from the structure. They wore a bright yellow livery with new interiors, a new impression for tourists alike.

Features onboard

As their pure yellow liveries had told, the buses are restyled to create a strong attraction to the new corporate image of Citybus, since NWFB merged with Citybus on 1 July 2023. Other than that, the open-top portion of the bus is the main selling point of the new fleet. But the most obvious was that a glass roof was re-introduced into double-decker buses since Scania K124EB's introduction into Hong Kong in 1998. Another major feature of the bus is that one of the three buses (fleet number 59909, formally numbered 8360) contained sliding windows on the upper deck similar to those used on the non-air-conditioned buses before their withdrawal from passenger revenue service in 2011. The remainder of the three (fleet numbers 59907 and 59908, formally 8358 and 8359 respectively) contained original solid windows instead.

Another feature of the bus is that it made use of the newest interior, to reflect Citybus' newest corporate image. Seats with Citybus logos, dark grey walls with dark blue seating were a first in the history of Citybus, although these changes have already been experimentally applied on another fully open-top bus, 50901 (formally 8204) back in the fall of 2023. With these buses joining the open-top double-decker family of Citybus, now the operator would have eight of the buses running on the sightseeing routes of Hong Kong, serving the curious tourists who wanted to discover the beauty of Hong Kong, as well as competing with another open-top sightseeing operator, Big Bus Hong Kong.

Other highlights for May 2024

KMB started their second promotional collaboration with Sanrio Hong Kong, this time with Minna no Tabo, on 3 May 2024.
On 5 May 2024, KMB double-decker electric buses started serving Southern District on cross-harbour bus route 171.
On that same day, Citybus offered the New Energy Bus Free Experience Day, providing free rides on both Weisheit WSD6121BR1EV and WSD6121BR3FCEV running Nathan Road Line bus route 20A.
MTR announced on 8 May 2024 that part of the Kwun Tong Line (between Prince Edward and Ho Man Tin Stations) would be closed for a whole day on 28 July 2024, to allow extensive maintenance at a crossover near Yau Ma Tei Station.

User:HingWahStreet/HK Transport Journal/Issue 4

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