The Kowloon Urban Bus Route 20 is operated by Citybus. It runs between Kai Tak (Muk On Street) and Cheung Sha Wan (Hoi Tat), via Kai Tak North, San Po Kong, Kowloon City, Ho Man Tin, Yau Ma Tei (Waterloo Road), Mong Kok West (Hoi Wang Road), Tai Kok Tsui and Sham Shui Po West.
Route 20, which is branded as the "Waterloo Road Line", is the first Kowloon Urban Bus Route to be operated by Citybus.
History[]
Commencing background[]
With the growing population in the Kai Tak Development, the Transport Department (TD) has proposed in the 2017-2018 Bus Route Planning Programme to introduce three new bus routes to serve the area, including one between Kai Tak (Muk Ning Street) and Tai Kok Tsui (Island Harbourview), which is expected to enhance the public transport links between Tai Kok Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, Argyle Street and Kai Tak.[1] After consulting the District Councils through the usual procedures, the Department invited franchised bus companies to submit proposals for the operation of the routes in 2017; it was expected that the three new routes could commence service in 2018 if the selection process went smoothly,[2] subject to the completion of various developments in the Kai Tak area.
The Transport Department finally invited tenders for three new bus routes in the area in February 2018 and announced the results in April, with all three new routes being awarded to Citybus.[3][4] The route numbered "20" between Muk Ning Street and Island Harbourview is not only Citybus' first urban Kowloon franchised route, but also breaks the practice of KMB operating all two-digit numbered routes in urban Kowloon since the bus franchise came into effect in 1933.
Prior to the commencement of the route, the Yau Tsim Mong District Council proposed to change the routing in Tai Kok Tsui by abandoning the Cherry Street underpass and The Long Beach, and instead passing through a section of Sham Mong Road outside the MTR Olympic Station and Harbour Green, which was accepted by the relevant parties;[5] in addition, the K9 flyover in Kai Tak North has been replaced by new Kai San Road, so the routing of Route 20 is already different from the alignment proposed by the Transport Department in the Bus Route Planning Programme at the moment of its commencement.
Route change history[]
- 29 April 2018: Route 20 commenced service. [6][7]
- As the road works at the end of Muk Ning Street have not yet been completed, buses cannot turn around and stop at that location, thus the Kai Tak terminus was temporarily set at the "Victoria Skye" stop on Muk On Street and U-turned at the roundabout at the end of Muk On Street outside Kai Long Court.[8][9] After the completion of the Muk Ning Street project, Route 20 continued to use Victoria Skye as the Kai Tak terminus, and Citybus even officially implemented the arrangement on 20 July 2020 with the official information entitled "Kai Tak (Muk On Street)" as the starting point.[10]
- 28 October 2018: Additional stop was called at "Tak Long Estate" on Shing Kai Road towards Kai Tak [11][12]
- 24 February 2019: Additional stop at "Canton Road" on Waterloo Road was added when heading towards Kai Tak.[13][14]
- 30 September 2019: Trial non-stop arrangement at Waterloo Road "Canton Road" stop after 21:00 daily from Tai Kok Tsui was introduced, originally until 1 December 2019[15] but subsequently extended to 15 April 2023.[16]
- 14 February 2020: To tie in with the opening of the MTR Tuen Ma Line Phase 1, a new $1 MTR interchange discount was introduced with Kai Tak Station as the designated station.[17][18]
- 24 May 2020: Due to the construction of the Central Kowloon Route, part of Ngo Cheung Road will be permanently closed, with access to Hoi Wang Road diverted via Lai Cheung Road when heading towards Tai Kok Tsui.[19][20]
- 9 January 2021: Payment of fares by AlipayHK "Easy Ride Code", Alipay and Cloudflare "Ride Code" were accepted. Passengers can continue to enjoy inter-route interchange discounts, however, the new fare system is not included in the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme and the $2 fare concession scheme for the elderly and eligible persons with disabilities.[21]
- 2 January 2022: Interchange discount with MTR was cancelled.[22]
- 23 April 2023:[23][24][25]
- The route was extended from Tai Kok Tsui (Island Harbourview) to Hoi Tat Estate:
- For Hoi Tat direction, after following the original routing to Sham Mong Road near Hoi Fai Road, continue to run straight along Sham Mong Road then via Hoi Tat Street to the new terminus, no longer observing Hoi Fai Road and Hoi Fan Road, and stops at Sham Mong Road "Chui Yu Road", "Nam Cheong Park" and "Fu Cheong Estate" were added;
- All trips to Kai Tak from the new terminus were advanced 5 minutes earlier, and return to original routing via Sham Mong Road with stops at "Fu Cheong Estate" and "Metro Harbourview" on Sham Mong Road.
- Stops were added at "Kowloon East Regional Police Headquarters" on Concorde Road and "Tak Long Estate Carpark" on Shing Kai Road for both directions.
- The route was extended from Tai Kok Tsui (Island Harbourview) to Hoi Tat Estate:
Historical route information[]
Details of the past service hours and headways, fares and other route information of this route are set out in the "Historical route information" sub-page of this article.
Service hours and headways[]
The latest update is on 4/2023, please refer to the link below for the official route information.
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| Detailed Departure Timetable |
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Citybus Route 20/Detailed Departure Timetable |
- This route provides "Next Bus" Arrival Time Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Journey/Boarding Stop | Fares |
|---|---|
| Full Fare | $5.9 |
| Section Fare (to Cheung Sha Wan) | |
| from Charming Garden | $4.5 |
| Section Fare (to Kai Tak) | |
| from Trade and Industry Tower | $5.3 |
| Fare Remarks |
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Bus Interchange Concession Schemes[]
Passengers using the same Octopus card or account of the same electronic payment instrument to interchange to the designated route after this route within a specific time, or transfer from the designated route to this route can enjoy an interchange concession. The details are as follows: (Half discount for children and senior citizens.) Template:Citybus Route 20 Interchange Concession Scheme
Bus deployments[]
This route is operated by 8 buses.[26] As the route passes through four hospitals (including Evangel Hospital, Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Kowloon Hospital and Kwong Wah Hospital),[27] the tender requires that the route must be served by Euro V or above buses with double wheelchair spaces, so except for unforeseen circumstances or "shortage of buses", Enviro500 MMC 12.8m (6426-6443, 6460-6499, 6700-6701) and Volvo B8L 12m (8806-8829, 521XX) double-deckers with extra wheelchair parking area and capable of carrying two wheelchair passengers at the same time must be deployed.
Even so, other Enviro500 MMC 12.8m double-decker buses are often used on this route.
Bus deployment evolution history[]
| Bus deployment evolution history of Citybus Route 20A |
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When Muk On Street was opened, the section west of Muk Ning Street was designated as a restricted zone for vehicles of 11 metres or less[28] because of the narrow turnaround point at the end. When this route was first introduced, it was not possible for buses to enter the bus terminus at Muk Ning Street because the route was not yet completed; Citybus therefore took the temporary measure of applying to the Transport Department for a Closed Area Permit for a batch of Enviro500 MMC 12/12.8m (6426-6443/8473-8490, 36 buses in total) double-deck buses valid until 31 August 2018. The permit is for buses to turn around at the end of Muk On Street after dropping off passengers at the temporary terminus at the westbound "Victoria Skye" stop and return to the starting point of the eastbound route. According to the internal guidelines, no other buses without permit are allowed to operate on this route unless there was a operational change.[29] After much discussion between Citybus and the Transport Department, the Transport Department decided to open the section of Muk On Street west of Muk Ning Street to all franchised buses with effect from 8 June 2018.[30] Since then, buses running on this route are no longer required to obtain a permit, and the original restrictions on the use of buses no longer apply, giving more flexibility in the allocation of buses. |
Routing[]
to Cheung Sha Wan (Hoi Tat)[]
To Cheung Sha Wan: The distance of this route is approx. 9.2km, and the journey time is approximately 39mins. (The average speed is 14.2km/h.)
Via: Muk On Street, Shing Kai Road, Concorde Road, slip road, Prince Edward Road East, Prince Edward Road West, Ma Tau Chung Road, Argyle Street, Waterloo Road, Ngo Cheung Road, Lai Cheung Road, Hoi Wang Road, Cherry Street, Sham Mong Road and Hoi Tat Street
| Route Map |
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| Citybus Route 20 (Kai Tak (Muk On Street) → Cheung Sha Wan (Hoi Tat)) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Kai Tak Grid Neighbourhood | Muk On Street | Victoria Skye  |
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| 2 | Kai Tak North | Shing Kai Road | Tak Long Estate Carpark | |
| 3 | Tak Long Estate | |||
| 4 | Muk Hung Street | |||
| 5 | Concorde Road | Kowloon East Regional Police Headquarters | ||
| 6 | San Po Kong | Prince Edward Road East | The Latitude |
near Trade and Industry Tower |
| 7 | Kowloon City | Prince Edward Road West | Regal Oriental Hotel |
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| 8 | Ma Tau Wai | Argyle Street | Argyle Street Playground |
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| 9 | Kowloon City Police Station | near Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Kowloon City Law Courts Building | ||
| 10 | Ho Man Tin | The Astrid | near Kowloon Hospital Rehabilitation Building | |
| 11 | Kowloon Hospital Main Building and West Wing | |||
| 12 | Waterloo Road | Man Kee Mansion | ||
| 13 | Ho Man Tin Street | |||
| 14 | Yau Ma Tei | Kwong Wah Hospital | ||
| 15 | Yau Ma Tei Fire Station |
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| 16 | Shanghai Street | near Yau Ma Tei Theatre, Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market | ||
| 17 | Mong Kok West | Hoi Wang Road | Charming Garden | Section Fare begins |
| 18 | Park Avenue | |||
| 19 | Tai Kok Tsui | Cherry Street | Central Park |
near Olympian City 2 |
| 20 | Sham Mong Road | Olympic Station |
near HSBC Centre | |
| 21 | Harbour Green | near Cosmopolitan Estates | ||
| 22 | Sham Shui Po West | Chui Yu Road | near Island Harbourview | |
| 23 | Nam Cheong Park | |||
| 24 | Fu Cheong Estate |
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| 25 | Hoi Tat Estate | |||
to Kai Tak (Muk On Street)[]
To Kai Tak: The distance of this route is approx. 11.9km, and the journey time is approximately 49mins. (The average speed is 14.6km/h.)
Via: Hoi Tat Street, Sham Mong Road, Cherry Street, Tai Kok Tsui Road, Cherry Street, Hoi Wang Road, Lai Cheung Road, Waterloo Road, Argyle Street, Prince Edward Road West, Prince Edward Road East, Sze Mei Street, Luk Hop Street, Tsat Po Street, Kai Sun Road, Concorde Road, Roundabout, Concorde Road, Shing Kai Road, Muk Hung Street, Muk Chui Street, Shing Kai Road and Muk On Street
| Route Map |
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| Citybus Route 20 (Cheung Sha Wan (Hoi Tat) → Kai Tak (Muk On Street)) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Sham Shui Po West | Hoi Tat Estate | ||
| 2 | Sham Mong Road | Fu Cheong Estate |
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| 3 | Tai Kok Tsui | Metro Harbourview | ||
| 4 | Chung Wui Street | near Harbour Green, Cosmopolitan Estates | ||
| 5 | Olympic Station |
near HSBC Centre | ||
| 6 | Tai Kok Tsui Road | Foo Kwai Street | ||
| 7 | Mong Kok West | Hoi Wang Road | Hoi Fu Court | |
| 8 | Charming Garden | |||
| 9 ＊ | Yau Ma Tei | Waterloo Road | Canton Road | near Yau Ma Tei Theatre, Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market Non-stop daily after 21:00 |
| 10 | Yau Ma Tei | Waterloo Road | YMCA |
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| 11 | Kwong Wah Hospital | |||
| 12 | Ho Man Tin | Victory Avenue | ||
| 13 | Metropark Hotel Kowloon | |||
| 14 | CLP Power | |||
| 15 | Ma Tau Wai | Argyle Street | Kowloon Hospital Main Building and West Wing | |
| 16 | Hospital Authority Building | near Kowloon Hospital Rehabilitation Building | ||
| 17 | Hong Kong Eye Hospital | near Kowloon City Law Courts Building | ||
| 18 | Evangel Hospital | |||
| 19 | Kowloon City | Argyle Street Playground (Argyle Street) |
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| 20 | Prince Edward Road East | Regal Oriental Hotel | ||
| 21 | San Po Kong | The Latitude (Prince Edward Road East) | near Trade and Industry Tower | |
| 22 | King Tai Street | |||
| Kai San Road | ||||
| 23 | Kai Tak North | Concorde Road | Trade and Industry Tower |
Section Fare begins here |
| 24 | Kowloon East Regional Police Headquarters | |||
| 25 | Muk Hung Street | Kai Tak (Kai Ching Estate) | ||
| 26 | Shing Kai Road | Tak Long Estate | near Richland Gardens | |
| 27 | Tak Long Estate Carpark | |||
| 28 | Kai Tak Grid Neighbourhood | Muk On Street | Victoria Skye |
|
Ridership[]
According to the Bus Route Planning Programme (BRPP) and other documents, the ridership of this route is as follows:
- 2020: The occupancy rate was 40% in the busiest hour.[31]
- 2021: The highest one-hour average occupancy rate for both Kai Tak and Tai Kok Tsui bound trips during the morning peak period is about 30%.[32]
- 2022: The occupancy rate during the busiest hour is 68%, with about 380 passengers using the Island Harbourview Bus Terminus.[26][33]
Related Incidents[]
Bus Accidents[]
- 8 June 2018: At around 7pm, an Enviro500 MMC (6345/UB4541) heading towards Kai Tak was travelling along Concorde Road towards Shing Kai Road when it reached the roundabout near the Eastern Road Substation and suddenly lost control and crashed into the kerb, injuring six people.[34][35]
- 22 April 2020: At about 11:00 pm, an Enviro500 MMC (6433/VC5631) heading towards Island Harbourview was stopped at Waterloo Road after hitting a folding arm awning outside a shop in the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market, one of the brackets about 3 feet long was inserted into the left front of the upper deck, resting on the left windscreen handrail on the upper deck.[36]
Criminal Vandalism[]
- 1 August 2018: At around 1pm, a Kai Tak-bound Enviro500 MMC (6374/UE5340) was approaching the Bus stop at the junction of Waterloo Road and Nathan Road, YMCA in Yau Ma Tei when a passenger found a buckling pin in the second row of seats behind the lower staircase. The passenger then notified the 43-year-old bus driver surnamed Lam, with no people injured.[37]
Trivia[]
On the day of commencement of Route 20, front end windows of all buses displayed the "Kai Tak 20" promotional paper display
Route 20 is Citybus' first urban Kowloon franchised bus route and was strongly emphasised. For this reason, a special "Kai Tak 20" (with Chinese: Kai Tak 20 新里程) display was added to the electronic destination sign on its first day of service, modelled on the "Network 26" sign used by Citybus when it took over 28 CMB routes in 1993[38] and a paper sign was placed on the front windscreen of the vehicle concerned for publicity purposes. In early 2024, Citybus picked Route 20 as one of the 15 "Trunk Routes" and was named "Waterloo Road Line". [39]
Gallery[]
Remarks[]
Related Articles[]
- Citybus Route 20A
- Citybus Route 20R
- Citybus Route 20S
- Citybus Route N20
- KMB Route 24
- NWFB Route 703 (Shelved)
- Kowloon GMB Route 46
References[]
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "2017-2018年度九龍城區巴士路線計劃" (2017-2018 Kowloon City District Bus Route Planning Programme).
- ↑ Panel on Transport and Traffic of the Fifth Kowloon City District Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, "第八次會議紀錄" ("Minutes of the 8th Meeting"), 2 Mar 2017.
- ↑ "開辦來往啟德新發展區的巴士服務" ("Commencement of new bus services to and from the Kai Tak Development Area"), Sham Shui Po District Council Transport Panel, 9 April 2018.
- ↑ "啟德大角咀巴士線月底通車" ("New bus route between Kai Tak and Tai Kok Tsui to commence service at the end of the month"), Wen Wei Po, 11 April 2018.
- ↑ Ben Tsoi Siu Fung's Office (蔡少峰議員辦事處), "城巴新路線20號（大角咀-啟德）於4月29日開辦，路線接納區議會建議，將行經大角咀深旺道" (Citybus Route 20 (Tai Kok Tsui - Kai Tak) will commence operation on 29 April, District Council accepted the recommendation on Route 20 running via Sham Mong Road at Tai Kok Tsui) [Facebook post], 26 Apr 2018.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Launches Urban Kowloon Route 20" [News Release], 25 April 2018.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Introduction of Air-Conditioned Urban Kowloon Route No. 20 Kai Tak (Muk Ning Street) – Tai Kok Tsui (Island Harbourview)" [Traffic Advice], 26 April 2018.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Kowloon Urban Bus Route 20 Temporary Relocation of Kai Tak (Muk Ning Street) Bus Terminus" [Passenger Notice], 25 April 2018.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Kowloon Urban Bus Route 20 Extension of Temporary Relocation of Kai Tak (Muk Ning Street) Bus Terminus" [Passenger Notice], 30 August 2018.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Service Adjustment of Citybus Route No. 20 Kai Tak (Muk On Street) – Tai Kok Tsui (Island Harbourview)" [Traffic Advice], 17 July 2020.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Addition of Bus Stop of CTB Route No. 20" [Traffic Advice], 22 October 2018.]
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Route 20 Additional Bus Stop" [Passenger Notice], 23 October 2018.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Route 20 Addition of Bus Stop on Waterloo Road near Canton Road" [Passenger Notice], 18 February 2019.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Temporary Bus Stop on Waterloo Road outside Kam Tong Building, Yau Ma Tei for Citybus Route No. 20" [Traffic Advice], 21 February 2019.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Route 20 Trial Run for Bus Stop Suspension on Waterloo Road near Canton Road" [Passenger Notice], 30 September 2019.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "[https://mobile.citybus.com.hk/pdf/E202201382a03.pdf Route 20 Trial Run Extension of Bus Stop Suspension at Waterloo Road near Canton Road during Specified Period]" [Passenger Notice], 20 September 2019.
- ↑ MTR Corporation Limited, "Tuen Ma Line Phase 1" [Journey Guide], Jan 2020.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Launches Route 22M to Tie In with Commissioning of MTR Tuen Ma Line Phase 1" [News Release], 12 February 2020.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Traffic and Transport Arrangements in Yau Ma Tei" [Announcement], 20 May 2020.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Central Kowloon Route construction works bus diversion arrangement" [Passenger Notice], 22 May 2020.
- ↑ Citybus Limited & New World First Bus Services Limited, "NWFB and Citybus Introduce New e-Payment System Accepting Payment by Multiple Transit QR Codes in the First Phase" [News Release], 31 December 2020.
- ↑ MTR Corporation Limited, "Extend “Rebate for Every Trip” for Half Year No Actual Fare Change for Octopus Passengers until Late June 2022" [News Release], 23 November 2021.
- ↑ Citybus Limited & New World First Bus Services Limited, "Citybus Route 20 Extends to Cover Nam Cheong and Hoi Tat" [News Release], 17 April 2023.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Service Adjustments of CTB Route No. 20 Kai Tak (Muk On Street)- Hoi Tat Public Transport Interchange" [Traffic Advice], 18 April 2023.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Route 20, 20A, 22, 22M, 608, 608P, N20 Addition of Bus Stops in Kai Tak Area" [Passenger Notice], 19 April 2023.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Transport Department HKSARG, 2022-2023年度深水埗區巴士路線計劃 (2022-2023 Sham Shui Po District Bus Route Planning Programme), Annex 6, Feb 2022.
- ↑ "封面故事－新巴城巴全面擴展「實時抵站時間查詢服務」，全新路線開拓營運網絡新版圖" ("Cover Story - NWFB and Citybus expands "Next Bus" Arrival Enquiry Service, New Routes expanding operational networks"), posted on Citybus and NWFB Staff Article on Dec 2018 (Hong Kong: Citybus and NWFB Public Relations Department), p.4, 5.
- ↑ G. N. 2357: Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations (Cap 374) --Prohibited Zone for Vehicles Exceeding 11 metres in length on Muk On Street, Kowloon City, HKSAR Government Gazette Vol. 19 Issue No. 12, 20 March 2015.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "開辦九龍市區路線20" ("Commencement of Kowloon Urban Bus Route 20") [Staff Notice], 25 Apr 2018.
- ↑ G. N. 4095: Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations (Cap 374) --Prohibited Zone for Vehicles Exceeding 11 metres in length on Muk On Street, Kowloon City, HKSAR Government Gazette Vol. 22 Issue No. 23, 8 June 2018.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, 2020-2021年度黃大仙區巴士路線計劃 (2020-2021 Wong Tai Sin District Bus Route Planning Programme), Annex 2, Feb 2020.
- ↑ Yau Tsim Mong District Council Secretariat, 2020至2023年度油尖旺區議會 交通及運輸事務委員會 第七次會議記錄（附件五） (Minutes of the seventh meeting of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council Panel on Transport and Traffic for the period 2020-2023 (Annex V)), Mar 2021.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, 2022-2023年度深水埗區巴士路線計劃 (2022-2023 Sham Shui Po District Bus Route Planning Programme), Paper No. 21/22, Panel on Planning, Development and Transport, Sham Shui Po District Council, 2 June 2022.
- ↑ 城巴九龍灣失控撞壆 5名乘客受傷送院 (Citybus crashed onto kerb at Kowloon Bay, 5 passengers injured and hospitalised), Apple Daily Breaking News, 8 June 2018.
- ↑ 城巴九龍灣自炒撞壆 司機乘客共6傷 (Citybus crashed onto kerb at Kowloon Bay, injuring 6 including driver), Oriental Daily News, 8 Jun 2018.
- ↑ 城巴途經油麻地果欄 撞斷店舖雨篷 約3呎長支架插穿車身 (Citybus broke shop's folding arm at Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market, an approx. 3ft long bracket inserted into the bus body), HK01, 23 Apr 2020.
- ↑ 城巴椅底發現扣針 乘客恐有「刺客」報警 (Buckling pin found beneath a Citybus seat, passenger feared of possible puncturer and reported to police), Oriental Daily News, 1 Aug 2018.
- ↑ YouTube video: "城巴啟德新路線 20 電牌宣傳轉頁「Kai Tak 20 新里程」" ("Citybus Kai Tak New Route 20 Electronic Destination Sign displaying "Kai Tak 20"")
- ↑ "城巴研今年申加價 重組推15主幹線" (Citybus to consider applying for fare increase this year, reorganisation of routes and rolling out of 15 main lines), Ming Pao, 21 February 2024.
External Links[]
- Citybus Official Route Information: (to Cheung Sha Wan (Hoi Tat))
- Citybus Official Route Information: (to Kai Tak (Muk On Street))
Template:Pig-CBNW
Template:List of Kowloon City District Bus RoutesTemplate:List of Sham Shui Po District Bus Routes