The Hong Kong Island Urban Bus Route 38 is operated by Citybus. It runs between North Point Ferry Pier and Chi Fu Fa Yuen, via Fortress Hill, Causeway Bay, Aberdeen Tunnel, Wong Chuk Hang Factory Estate, Aberdeen and Tin Wan.
Route 38, which is titled as "Southern Line" (南區線), has swallowed most of the service hours of Route 42 and detours via Wah Fu Road after morning on weekdays.
History[]
To cope with the population growth of Chi Fu Fa Yuen, the Transport Department (TD) proposed China Motor Bus (CMB) to operate Route 37M to Admiralty Station. However, CMB's field survey found that residents of Chi Fu Fa Yuen preferred a route connecting Causeway Bay and North Point, and this route was developed in response to public opinion.[1]
- 26 October 1981: Route 38 entered service, operating between Chi Fu Fa Yuen and North Point (Marble Road) via Nam Fung Road, Wong Nai Chung Gap Road and Stubbs Road, with trips after 23:00 detouring via Wah Fu (South). [2][3]
- 15 March 1982: Departures from 06:15 to 22:15 daily were rerouted via Aberdeen Tunnel to tie in with the opening of Aberdeen Tunnel.
- 2 May 1983: North Point terminus was relocated to North Point Ferry Pier with increased headways, while the time periods detouring via Wah Fu (South) was advanced from 19:45 to tie in with the earlier last bus time of Route 41.[4]
- 20 December 1984: All trips were rerouted via Aberdeen Tunnel to tie in with the upgrading of the tunnel to 24-hour operation.
- 26 August 1991: Air-conditioned bus service was introduced.
- Air-conditioned buses were introduced before 07:45 for short trips from Chi Fu Fa Yuen to Causeway Bay, and then the buses would change to operate on special morning cross-harbour routes; this arrangement was withdrawn until about September 1993 when Route 38A was introduced.
- 1 September 1998: Changed to be operated by New World First Bus (NWFB) following the end of CMB Franchised Bus Service; rerouted via Aberdeen Bus Terminus from the same day onwards following the cancellation of Route 38A.
- 26 May 1999: Octopus payment was accepted on this route.[5]
- 2000: Upgraded to full air-conditioned service.
- 26 August 2000: Interchange concessions with Routes 2A, 2X, 8 and 8P were introduced, which was the first set of Octopus Interchange concessions by NWFB. [6]
- 27 August 2000: The $5.0 section fare from Mitsukoshi to Chi Fu Fa Yuen was advanced to take effect from Hong Kong Central Library onwards.
- 9 December 2001: Rerouted via Wong Chuk Hang Road Flyover for North Point Ferry Pier direction.[7]
- 10 May 2010: Trips between 17:00 and 19:00 on Mondays to Fridays omitted Aberdeen Tunnel Toll Plaza. [8]
- 1 July 2013: A new section fare from Ngan Mok Street towards North Point Ferry Pier was introduced as a condition of renewal of NWFB franchise.[9]
- 14 May 2016: North Point terminus was relocated to the newly built North Point Ferry Pier Public Transport Interchange, and North Point-bound buses were diverted to the new terminus via Java Road and Tin Chiu Street after Shu Kuk Street.[10]
- 15 January 2018: "Next Bus" Arrival Enquiry Service was introduced to this route.[11]
- 4 March 2018: The "Fu Yan Yuen" stop on Chi Fu Road was cancelled for North Point direction.[12]
- 27 November 2022:
- Detoured via Wah Fu after 10:00am on Mondays to Fridays as well as whole day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays to facilitate with the reduction of service hours of Route 42, and no longer passed through Wong Chuk Hang Road Flyover for North Point direction with the cancellation of arrangement of omitting Aberdeen Tunnel Toll Plaza stop during weekday evening peak hours;
- Service hour was extended with the last bus from Chi Fu and North Point departing at 00:35 and 00:38 respectively;
- New special departures at 17:55 and 18:25 from "Hong Kong Central Library" stop on Causeway Road to Chi Fu Fa Yuen on Mondays to Saturdays were introduced.
- 1 July 2023: Changed to be operated by Citybus following the Citybus and NWFB Franchised Bus Network Merger.
Service hours and headways[]
The latest update is on 11/2022, please refer to the link below for the official route information.
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| Detailed timetable |
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|
Citybus Route 38/Detailed timetable |
Special trip[]
| Causeway Bay (Hong Kong Central Library) → Chi Fu Fa Yuen ● |
|---|
| Mondays to Saturdays |
| 17:55, 18:25 |
| No service on Sundays and Public Holidays |
- This route provides "Next Bus" Arrival Time Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Journey/Boarding stop | Fares |
|---|---|
| Full fare | $9.4 |
| Section fares (to Chi Fu) | |
| From Hong Kong Central Library | $7.7 |
| From Aberdeen Tunnel Bus-Bus Interchange | $5.6 |
| Section fares (to North Point) | |
| From Aberdeen | $7.7 |
| From Lap Tak Lane | $5.5 |
| From Ngan Mok Street | $5.2 |
| Fare Remarks |
|---|
|
Bus-Bus Interchange Concessions[]
Passengers using the same Octopus card 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 38 Interchange Concession Scheme
| Aberdeen Tunnel Bus-Bus Interchange Concessions (Northbound) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd leg \ 1st leg
|
37A, 70, 70P, 75, 90, 90C, 97 |
72, 72A, 592 | 77, 99 | 38, 42, 42C |
| Fare concession on the 2nd leg | ||||
| 37A | Free | $3.3 | $3.6 | $3.3 |
| 70, 70P, 72, 75, 90, 90C, 97, 592 |
Free | |||
| 72A | $-0.2 | $3.4 | $3.1 | |
| 77 (Full fare), 99 | Free | Free | ||
| 77 (Section fare) | $0.9[Remark 1] | $0.6 | ||
| 38, 42, 42C (Full fare) | $0.3 | Fare | ||
| 38, 42, 42C (Section fare) | $2 | |||
Remarks:
- Passengers must use the same Octopus card or the same electronic payment account to take the above routes consecutively within 90 minutes before they can enjoy the interchange concession.
- Children under 12 years old will receive a 50% concession; passengers benefiting from the Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Disabled Persons will receive a 50% concession on the second journey fare The concessioned fare for the second journey is the lower of the above second-trip fare (half concession for seniors or qualified persons with disabilities under 12 years old) or $2.0, so some interchange combinations may not have interchange concessions in disguise.
- This interchange concession is only valid for boarding before Aberdeen Tunnel on the first journey and interchangering to a bus route in the same direction, and is not applicable to the same route.
- Some routes are only operated during peak hours, so some route combinations may not be able to complete interchanges within the designated time.
- Information: Aberdeen Tunnel Toll Plaza BBI Octopus Bus Interchange Concession Scheme, Citybus Website.
Bus deployments[]
Due to the design of the Chi Fu Fa Yuen Bus Terminus, this route can only be operated by buses of 11.3 metres or below before 10:00 a.m. on Mondays to Saturdays from Chi Fu. For the rest of the day, 12-metre buses are allowed to operate due to the use of another lay-by at the terminus.
This route operates with 7 double-decker buses during the morning peak hours, mainly Enviro500/MMC 11.3m (40XX, 410XX); whereas 16 double-decker buses, mainly Enviro500/MMC 12m (5518-5582/5583-5599, 5601-5851, 515XX), are used during the rest of the day.
Routing[]
To Chi Fu Fa Yuen[]
| Routing | Roads observed |
| ① Regular |
The distance of this route is approx. 13.2km, and the journey time is approximately 60mins. (The average speed is 13.2km/h.) Kam Hong Street, King's Road, Causeway Road, Irving Street, Pennington Street, Yee Wo Street, Hennessy Road, Canal Road bus only road, Canal Road East, Leighton Road, Morrison Hill Road, Wong Nai Chung Road, Aberdeen Tunnel, Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen Praya Road, Shek Pai Wan Road, Wah Fu Road, Wah King Street, Wah Lam Path, Wah Fu Road, Shek Pai Wan Road, Pok Fu Lam Road and Chi Fu Road |
|---|---|
| ② * Weekday AM omit Wah Fu |
The distance of this route is approx. 12.4km, and the journey time is approximately 50mins. (The average speed is 14.9km/h.) ……, Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen Praya Road, Shek Pai Wan Road, Pok Fu Lam Road and Chi Fu Road |
| Citybus Route 38 (North Point Ferry Pier → Chi Fu Fa Yuen) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus stop name | Remarks |
| 1 | North Point | North Point Ferry Pier | ||
| 2 | King's Road | Kam Hong Street |
||
| 3 | Mary Court | |||
| 4 | Fortress Hill | New Trend Plaza | ||
| 5 | Causeway Bay East | Tsing Fung Street | ||
| 6 | Causeway Bay | Causeway Road | Hong Kong Central Library | Section fare begins here Special trip begins here Near Victoria Park |
| 7 | Hennessy Road | Causeway Bay - Hysan Place |
Near Sogo Department Store | |
| 8 | Canal Road bus only road | Canal Road bus only road | ||
| 9 # | Happy Valley | Morrison Hill Road | Happy Valley Racecourse | Omit this stop during horse racings at Happy Valley |
| 10 | Wong Chuk Hang | Wong Chuk Hang Road | Aberdeen Tunnel Bus-Bus Interchange |
Section fare begins here Near Ocean Park, Grantham Hospital, Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital |
| 11 | Wong Chuk Hang Recreation Ground | Near Aberdeen Sports Ground, Nina Hotel Island South | ||
| 12 | Nam Long Shan Road |
Near Wong Chuk Hang Business Area | ||
| 13 | Victory Factory Building | |||
| 14 | Aberdeen | Aberdeen Praya Road | Ocean Court | Near Aberdeen Tennis and Squash Centre |
| 15 | Aberdeen Promenade | |||
| 16 | Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market | |||
| 17 | Tin Wan | Tin Wan Street | ||
| * | Waterfall Bay | Shek Pai Wan Road | Wah Fu Road | Applicable to weekday AM trips using routing ② |
| 18 | Waterfall Bay | Wah Fu Road | Wah Lok House Wah Fu Estate | Not applicable to weekday AM trips using routing ② |
| 19 | Wah Fu Shopping Centre | |||
| 20 | Wah Ching House Wah Fu Estate | |||
| 21 | Pui Ying Secondary School | |||
| 22 | Wah King Street | Wah Fu (North) | ||
| 23 | Pok Fu Lam (Chi Fu) | Pok Fu Lam Road | Yu Chun Keung Memorial College No.2 | |
| 24 | Chi Fu Road | Chi Fu Close | ||
| 25 | Block 1-7 Chi Fu Fa Yuen | |||
| 26 | Chi Fu | |||
To North Point Ferry Pier[]
| Routing | Roads observed |
| ① Regular |
The distance of this route is approx. 13.2km, and the journey time is approximately 60mins. (The average speed is 13.2km/h.) Chi Fu Road, Pok Fu Lam Road, Victoria Road, Wah Hong Street, Wah King Street, Wah Fu Road, Shek Pai Wan Road, Aberdeen Praya Road, Aberdeen Bus Terminus, Aberdeen Main Road, Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen Tunnel, Wong Nai Chung Road, Morrison Hill Road, Tin Lok Lane, Hennessy Road, Yee Wo Street, Causeway Road, King's Road, Shu Kuk Street, Java Road and Tin Chiu Street |
|---|---|
| ② * Weekday AM omit Wah Fu and diversion via Wong Chuk Hang Road Flyover |
The distance of this route is approx. 11.9km, and the journey time is approximately 50mins. (The average speed is 14.3km/h.) Chi Fu Road, Pok Fu Lam Road, Shek Pai Wan Road, Aberdeen Praya Road, Aberdeen Bus Terminus, Aberdeen Main Road, Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang Road Flyover, Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen Tunnel, Wong Nai Chung Road, …… |
Ridership[]
According to the Bus Route Planning Programmes and other information, the ridership of this route is as follows:
- 1993 (CMB): The monthly passenger amount was 341,051.[13]
- Opening of the South Island Line:
- 2017: The average occupancy rate at the highest load point during the busiest half hour of the pre-opening peak period was 78.6%, compared to 77.7% after opening, with a decline in patronage of 8.2% recorded.[14]
- 2017: The occupancy rate during the busiest hour was 85%.[15]
- 2022: The occupancy rate during the busiest hour was 69%, and the average occupancy rate during other periods was 26%.
- 2023: The average occupancy rate at the Aberdeen Tunnel Bus-Bus Interchange between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. was about 45% for the North Point direction, and that at the Victory Factory Building between 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. for the Chi Fu direction was about 65%.[16]
- 2024: After amalgamation with Route 42, the patronage was increased by 6.2%;[17] the average occupancy rate at the Aberdeen Tunnel Bus-Bus Interchange between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. in the North Point direction was about 40%;[18] the average number of passengers boarding the buses at Wong Chuk Hang Road near Nam Long Shan Road in the afternoon peak hour was about 45, and the average occupancy rate was about 60% upon departure from the stop.[19]
Controversies[]
NWFB and the Transport Department (TD) considered that this route overlapped with Route 42 by more than 90% of its catchment area between Wah Fu and North Point, and that the patronage of the two routes after the morning peak period is persistently low. Therefore, they have proposed in the 2022-2023 Bus Route Planning Programme that Route 42 would be truncated to operate in the morning from Mondays to Saturdays only, and that the route would be detoured via Wah Fu, Aberdeen Main Road and Wong Chuk Hang Road for the remaining period instead. District Councillors and local organisations criticised the merger scheme for slowing down the journeys between Chi Fu and the Eastern District due to the "triple detour", causing inconvenience to the residents of Chi Fu and Wah Fu who are not served by railways, and queried that the demand of commuters during the off-peak hours had not been taken into account. TD and NWFB responded that the occupancy rate of the two routes during off-peak hours was low, and there was a need to focus resources on the continuity of the relevant services, and that the frequency of this route would be increased during the afternoon peak period after the merger.[20][21] The final plan was implemented on 27 November 2022 despite local objections, except that the service to North Point Ferry Pier would continue to serve Aberdeen Bus Terminus, and special departure from Hong Kong Central Library to Chi Fu at 17:55 and 18:25 from Mondays to Saturdays (except public holidays) were introduced.
Related incidents[]
- 26 September 1987: At 10:02 a.m., a North Point-bound Leyland Fleetline (LF30/BG3635) was hit in the rear by a concrete truck following it which failed to hold its brakes while travelling along Wong Chuk Hang Road and preparing to stop at Aberdeen Tunnel Toll Plaza stop; the rear of the bus was damaged and there was oil leakage from the engine. Fifteen people were injured in the incident and were sent to Tang Shiu Kin Hospital for treatment; the driver of the concrete truck was transferred to Queen Mary Hospital.[22][23]
- 25 November 1997: At 4:30 p.m., a Dennis Condor (DA32/EW4321) travelling along Wong Chuk Hang Road in the direction of Chi Fu Fa Yuen suddenly emitted smoke from an air-conditioning motorcycle at the rear of the vehicle when it was travelling along Wong Chuk Hang Road opposite the football pitch at Pok Fu Lam Road.[24]
- 14 January 2024: At about 11:00 a.m., a Chi Fu Fa Yuen-bound Enviro500 MMC (5711/UF8210) was travelling along Wah Fu Road opposite Pui Ying Middle School when the driver reported that the vehicle had twisted its left hand steering wheel while dodging a vehicle and crashed onto the pavement, sweeping about 10 metres of railing on the roadside, with no injuries. No one was injured.[25]
Gallery[]

Remarks[]
- ↑ Only on Route 99.
Related articles[]
- Citybus Route 33X
- CMB Route 38A (Cancelled)
- Citybus Route 38S
- NWFB Route 38S (1st generation) (Cancelled)
- CMB Route 41 (Cancelled)
- Citybus Route 41A
- Citybus Route 42
- Citybus Route 42C
- NWFB Route N38 (Cancelled)
References[]
- ↑ "地鐵計劃自辦接駁路線 九巴大表不滿 指為漠視乘客選擇權利 強迫乘客非搭地鐵不可" (MTR's plan to launch connection routes on its own aroused dissatisfaction from KMB for depriving passenger choices), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 11 October 1981.
- ↑ "配合薄扶林道巴士專線 中巴增闢第38號線 來往置富花園與北角馬寶道間 卅七號等三線巴士改行山道天橋至中環" (CMB launches Route 38 to tie in with the introduction of Pok Fu Lam Road bus-only lane, running between Chi Fu and North Point Marble Road; 3 routes including Route 37 to reroute via Hill Road Flyover to Central), Ta Kung Pao, 22 October 1981.
- ↑ Announcement from Transport Department: "開辦巴士新綫行走置富花園及北角事" (Introduction of bus route between Chi Fu Fa Yuen and North Point), published on Wah Kiu Yat Po, 21 October 1981.
- ↑ CMB Passenger Notice: "中巴38及41線 服務有修訂" (Service adjustments of CMB Routes 38 and 41), published on Wah Kiu Yat Po II p.2, 30 April 1983.
- ↑ New World First Bus Services Limited, "新巴兩線新增八達通" (Octopus payments introduced on 2 NWFB routes) [News Release], 25 May 1999.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Causeway Bay BBI scheme in operation on Saturday" [News Bulletin], 23 August 2000.
- ↑ New World First Bus Services Limited, "新巴路線796C旺角加一分站 路線38改行黃竹坑天橋 路線970繞經干諾道西" (One new stop in Mong Kok added for NWFB Route 796C; Route 38 rerouted via Wong Chuk Hang Road Flyover; Route 970 detoured via Connaught Road West) [News Release], 7 December 2001.
- ↑ 新巴38平日下午不停香港仔隧道收費廣場 (NWFB Route 38 to omit Aberdeen Tunnel Toll Plaza during weekday evenings), hkitalk.net
- ↑ New World First Bus Services Limited, "NWFB Offers New Fare Concessions" [News Release], 21 June 2013.
- ↑ Citybus Limited & New World First Bus Services Limited, "Relocation of NWFB & Citybus North Point Ferry Pier Bus Terminus" [News Release], 13 May 2016.
- ↑ Citybus Limited & New World First Bus Services Limited, "NWFB and Citybus Extend “Next Bus” Arrival Service to 107 Routes" [News Release], 15 January 2018.
- ↑ New World First Bus Services Limited, "路線38北角碼頭方向:置富道富仁苑巴士站取消" (Route 38 (North Point Ferry Pier-bound): Cancellation of Bus Stop at Fu Yan Yuen, Chi Fu Road) [Passenger Notice], 1 March 2018.
- ↑ (1990s) 中巴1993年5月- 廣告收費表及客量數據 ((1990s) CMB May 1993 - Advertisement Fare Tables and Patronage Figures), hkitalk.net.
- ↑ "南港島線通車後的變化及公共交通服務重組計劃的最新安排" (Latest arrangements on the Public Transport Re-organisation Plan to tie in with the Commissioning of South Island Line), Supplementary information, March 2017.
- ↑ "2017 – 2018年度南區巴士路線計劃" (2017-2018 Bus Route Planning Programme in the Southern District), Supplementary information, March 2017.
- ↑ "以往會議曾討論事項進展報告(截至2023年12月31日的情況)" (Progress report on issues discussed at previous meetings (position as at 31 December 2023)), Traffic and Transport Committee of the Southern District Council Traffic and Transport Paper No. 2/2024, January 2024
- ↑ "城巴4及971線推雙向分段收費裝11部回贈機 有意引入快速公交系統" (Citybus to introduce two-way section fare on Routes 4 and 971, intends to introduce rapid transit system), HK01, 20 February 2024.
- ↑ "以往會議曾討論事項進展報告(截至2024年2月29日的情況)" (Progress report on issues discussed at previous meetings (position as at 29 February 2024)), Traffic and Transport Committee of the Southern District Council Traffic and Transport Paper 7/2024, March 2024
- ↑ 香港特別行政區政府運輸署,"關注城巴第38號線班次不足及脫班問題" (Concerns on inadequate headways and lost trips of Citybus Route No. 38), Traffic and Transport Committee of the Southern District Council Traffic and Transport Paper No. 21/2024 (Annex II), September 2024.
- ↑ Eastern District Council Secretariat, "東區區議會轄下 交通及運輸事務委員會 第十三次會議紀錄(第8-9點)" (Panel on Transport and Traffic of the Eastern District Council Minutes of the 13th Meeting (Points 8 - 9)), June 2022.
- ↑ 南區交通 Southern District Transport, "Proposed merger of routes 38 and 42" [Facebook post], 27 February 2022.
- ↑ See the newspaper on 27 September 1987: "黃竹坑隧道入口混凝土車撞巴士 司機乘客十五人傷" (15 injured as concrete truck hit a bus at Wong Chuk Hang tunnel entrance), Wah Kiu Yat Po; "混凝土車撞雙層巴 十五人輕傷送院" (15 slightly injured and hospitalised as concrete truck crashed onto a bus), Wen Wei Po.
- ↑ "香港仔隧道入口收銀站前車禍 巴士田螺車相撞 造成十五人受傷" (15 injured in traffic accident at Aberdeen Tunnel entrance as concrete truck hit a bus), Sing Pao, 27 September 1987.
- ↑ "巴士行駛中又冒煙 乘客疏散司機撲煙" (Passengers evacuated as bus emitted smoke while running), Sing Pao, 26 November 1997.
- ↑ "香港仔華富邨城巴剷行人路 掃毀路邊鐵欄" (CTB bus shovelled onto pavement and destroyed roadside railings at Wah Fu Estate, Aberdeen), Sing Tao Daily, 14 January 2024.
External links[]
- Citybus Official Route Information: 38 (to North Point Ferry Pier)
- Citybus Official Route Information: 38 (to Chi Fu Fa Yuen)
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| Italic - service during specified days/periods only; → - Outbound service only; ← - Inbound service only Remark: On and before 31 December 2015, Victoria Park and Causeway Bay to its east were situated in Eastern District and was delineated into Wan Chai District on 1 January 2016, which can be referenced to the District Council Constituency Area Boundary Map; ($) Outbound starts at Sha Tin District, return trips end at Tai Po District | |||||||||||||||||||
Template:Aberdeen Tunnel Bus Routes


