ENG-2012 — Page 262

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Transport

Franchised Buses

Franchised buses are the largest road-based carriers and account for 32 per cent of the total daily public transport volume. Bus services in Kowloon and the New Territories are largely provided by The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB). At year-end, the company operated 315 bus routes in Kowloon and the New Territories and 10 cross-harbour routes on its own. It also operated 29 and 21 cross-harbour routes jointly with New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) and Citybus Limited (CTB) respectively. At year-end, KMB had a licensed fleet of 3,818 buses, of which 2,450 were wheelchair-accessible. KMB recorded 943 million passenger trips (a daily average of 2.58 million passenger trips) covering 307.56 million kilometres of roads during the year.

Bus services on Hong Kong Island are provided by NWFB and CTB. At year-end, NWFB was operating 51 bus routes on Hong Kong Island, eight in Kowloon and Tseung Kwan O and 33 cross-harbour routes, 29 of which were run jointly with KMB. It had a licensed fleet of 704 buses, of which 626 were wheelchair-accessible. NWFB recorded 179 million passenger trips in 2012 (a daily average of 489,243 passenger trips) covering 47.88 million kilometres of roads.

CTB operates two bus networks under two franchises. One covers 61 bus routes on Hong Kong Island, one bus route in the New Territories and 29 cross-harbour routes, 21 of which are operated jointly with KMB. The other franchise covers a network of 19 routes plying between the urban areas and North Lantau or the airport. At year-end, CTB had a licensed fleet of 948 buses, of which 505 were wheelchair-accessible, and in 2012 recorded 227 million passenger trips (a daily average of 621,391 passenger trips) covering 81.7 million kilometres of road.

The Long Win Bus Company Limited provides services between the New Territories and Lantau Island and the airport with a licensed fleet of 165 buses, all wheelchair-accessible. The company made 31.26 million passenger trips (a daily average of 85,410 passenger trips) over its 19 routes, covering 25.36 million kilometres of roads in 2012.

The New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited provides bus services on Lantau Island with a licensed fleet of 108 vehicles. The company recorded 22.31 million passenger trips in 2012 (a daily average of 60,948 passenger trips) covering 7.39 million kilometres of road over its 23

routes.

Non-franchised Buses

Non-franchised bus services play a supplementary role in the public transport system. They relieve heavy demand on regular public transport services primarily during peak hours, fill the gaps which cannot be met by regular public transport services, and provide tailor-made services to specific groups of passengers. They mainly serve tourists, groups of residents, employees and students. At year-end, there were 7,055 registered non-franchised public buses.

Public Light Buses

Hong Kong's public light buses (PLBs) are licensed to carry a maximum of 16 passengers per vehicle. At year-end, there were 4,350 PLBs.

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