The Hong Kong Island Urban Bus Route 5B is operated by Citybus. It runs between Felix Villas (late night trips terminate at Kennedy Town) and Hong Kong Stadium[Remark 1][Remark 2], via Shek Tong Tsui, Sai Ying Pun (Des Voeux Road West), Sheung Wan, Central, Admiralty , Wan Chai (Hennessy Road) and Causeway Bay. It is a member of the Western District trunk routes together with Route 10.[Remark 3]
For a long time in the past, there have been no regular overnight bus services in the Western District area west of Macau Ferry. Route 5B has extended its service hours to 02:40 since 1996, inheriting the record of CMB Route 82 which had been maintained for more than 17 years, becoming the bus route with the longest service hour in Hong Kong. This record lasted for more than 22 years until the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was opened to traffic on 23 October 2018 when Routes B4 and B6 operating 24-hour-a-day were commenced.
History[]
CMB Era[]
- 9 May 1968: CMB commenced Route 5B between Kennedy Town and Wan Chai Ferry Pier.
- 24 August 1970: From 10am onwards, buses were diverted via Fleming Road Flyover and Fleming Road to Hennessy Road, omitting Gloucester Road and Fenwick Street.
- 6 January 1974: Services were adjusted to facilitate the implemetation of the Mid-Levels Bus Priority Scheme:
- Extended from Wan Chai Ferry Pier to Causeway Bay (Paterson Street);
- Kennedy Town-bound buses were diverted via Rumsey Street, Connaught Road Central, Connaught Road West, Des Voeux Road West and Hill Road, no longer going straight via Queen's Road Central and Queen's Road West.
- 25 August 1974: Due to the rise in operational costs brought by the upsurge of fuel prices, services of this route were reduced to only weekday mornings to evenings, and no services were provided during holidays.
- 1978: Holiday services were resumed.
- 3 September 1978: From 10am onwards, Kennedy Town-bound buses were changed to turn into Queen's Road West at the end of Des Voeux Road West and no longer observing Hill Road to facilitate the conversion of Hill Road of that section into a one-way road after the beginning of Hill Road Flyover construction works.
- 16 December 1978: Extended from Kennedy Town to Felix Villas to replace CMB Route 56 (Kennedy Town (Sands Street) ↔ Felix Villas). This route was originally scheduled to be renumbered as Route 52, however such an arrangement was cancelled as CMB withdrew the application.
- 9 May 1979: Causeway Bay terminus was relocated to Kingston Street to faciliate the implementation of the Causeway Bay Area Phase 5 Traffic Scheme.
- 31 January 1981: To facilitate the conversion of Chater Road into a pedestrian-only zone during holidays, Causeway Bay-bound buses were diverted via Des Voeux Road Central in lieu of Chater Road.
- 9 August 1982: From 10am onwards, the intermediate stop at Des Voeux Road Central near Wing Wo Street and Gilman Street for buses towards Causeway Bay (Kingston Road).
- 24 May 1985: Causeway Bay terminus was relocated back to Paterson Street to facilitate the pedestrian and traffic management plan following the commencement of the Island Line of Mass Transit Railway.
- Buses towards Causeway Bay were diverted via Yee Wo Street and Paterson Street, no longer observing Great George Street, Gloucester Road and Kingston Street.
- Buses towards Felix Villas would return to original routing via Gloucester Road, Percival Street, Leighton Road, Morrison Hill Road and Tin Lok Lane after departing from the new terminus at Paterson Street.
- 15 February 1986: Due to the insufficient passenger amount at Mount Davis section, services to and from Felix Villas during AM and PM peak hours on weekdays, and buses would terminate at Kennedy Town at other times.
- 1987: Service hours were reduced again to daily mornings to evenings only.
- 1991: Service area was extended to So Kon Po (Hong Kong Stadium), and was converted to circular operation.
Citybus Era[]
- 1 September 1993: Citybus took over this route as one of the first batch of 28 routes taken over from CMB (Network 26), with following changes implemented:
- Air-conditioned bus services were introduced on a hybrid operation basis with non-air-conditioned buses;
- Buses towards Causeway Bay (Eastern Hospital Road) were diverted via Connaught Road Central, Harcourt Road and slip road of Cotton Tree Drive, omitting Des Voeux Road Central in order to increase passenger amounts;
- Joint headways were provided with Route 5A at a 6- and 10-minute intervals totally during peak and non-peak hours respectively.
- 5 December 1994: Causeway Bay-bound buses were diverted back via Des Voeux Road Central, omitting Connaught Road Central, Harcourt Road and slip road of Cotton Tree Drive.
- 7 October 1996: Service hours were extended to 02:40 to match the late night commuting demand of the residents of Western District.
- This has increased the daily operating hours to 20.5 hours, making it the longest non-round-the-clock bus route in Hong Kong and the daytime regular route with the latest departure time of last bus.
- 27 December 1996: Causeway Bay-bound buses were diverted via North Street, New Praya, Kennedy Town and Sands Street back to Belcher's Street to facilitate the implementation of the roundabout traffic system in Kennedy Town in which the section of Belcher's Street between North Street and Sands Street was converted into a one-way road.
- 18 January 1998: The routing at the vicnity of Kennedy Town and Shek Tong Tsui was changed to facilitate the implementation of "Kennedy Town Phase III Traffic Management Measures" by the Transport Department (TD):
- Buses towards Causeway Bay were diverted via Praya, Kennedy Town, without passing through North Street, Belcher's Street, Queen's Road West and Hill Road to facilitate the conversion of the entire Belcher's Street into a one-way westbound street;
- Buses towards Kennedy Town were diverted via Praya, Kennedy Town and Sands Street into Belcher's Street, omitting Queen's Road West.
- 22 August 1998: All departures terminated at Kennedy Town and no longer providing departures to and from Felix Villas to facilitate vehicle scheduling; services to and from Felix Villas were provided by Route 5A instead.
- 15 April 2001: Causeway Bay-bound buses no longer observing "Murray Road" stop to improve traffic conditions at Central.
- 16 September 2002: Interchange concessions with numerous Citybus WHC Express routes were introduced.
- 22 August 2004: Interchange concession with Route M47 was introduced to facilitate the relocation of terminus of Route M47 from Admiralty (West) to Central (Hong Kong Station).
- 22 August 2006: Interchange concession with Route N11 was introduced.
- 13 September 2015: Causeway Bay-bound buses no longer called at the intermediate stop outside Chater House on Chater Road, and was replaced by Des Voeux Road Central near Douglas Street and Murray Road.
- 15 May 2016: Circular operation was cancelled and changed to two-way operation, with terminus set up at "Hong Kong Stadium" on Eastern Hospital Road to enhance headway stability and allow bus captains to rest for a while after arriving at Hong Kong Stadium.\
- To tie in with the above modes of operation, the bus company provided free Octopus interchanges for passengers travelling to Kennedy Town at the "Tung Wah Eastern Hospital" stop on Eastern Hospital Road. Passengers boarding a bus at Tung Wah Eastern Hospital stop on Eastern Hospital Road may use the same Octopus card to interchange at Hong Kong Stadium Terminus for a free ride on the upcoming Kennedy Town-bound trip without paying extra fare and cancelling the original bus or transferring to the previous bus for onward journeys.
- In the past, buses were nominally circular, but in practice, after arriving at the Hong Kong Stadium, buses usually had to wait until the scheduled time before departing again so that the bus captain could take a break and all passengers had to alight. Passengers who wish to continue their journeys could transfer to an earlier trip free of charge by indicating "transfer" to the next bus captain when boarding, or by boarding with the assistance of the first bus captain without paying an additional fare.
- 1 June 2016: Interchange concessions with Routes 8X, 19, 25A, as well as NWFB routes 2A, 2X, 8 and 8P were introduced to tie in with the extension of Citybus Franchise (I).
- 6 November 2017: Hong Kong Stadium-bound buses omitted "Murray Road" stop temporarily to facilitate the demolition works of the Murray Road Carpark.
- 12 February 2018: "Next Bus" Arrival Enquiry System was introduced on this route.
- 21 December 2020: A special departure was introduced on a trial basis, departing at 08:40 on Mondays to Fridays from Causeway Bay (Tung Lo Wan Road) to Kennedy Town, until 19 March 2021; it was later extended to 21 May 2021, 4 June 2021 and 23 July 2021. Such departure still provides service as of now.
- 4 March 2022: Service was suspended due to the the fifth wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic outbreak, until 21 April of the same year when service was resumed.
- 19 May 2022: Terminus of late night departures from Kennedy Town omitting So Kon Po changed from "Yee Wo Street (Yee Wo Street)" on Yee Wo Street to "Sogo Department Store" on Hennessy Road.
- 6 October 2024: Except for the late-night departures which does not enter So Kon Po, all other departures were extended from Kennedy Town to Felix Villas to replace Route 1 which was truncated to Macau Ferry from that day onwards, with additional interchange concessions with Routes 1 and 10. [1][2]
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 5/2022, please refer to the link below for the official route information.
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Special Departures[]
Causeway Bay (Tung Lo Wan Road) → Felix Villas ● |
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Mondays to Fridays |
08:40 |
No service on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays |
- This route provides "Next Bus" Arrival Time Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
Fare sections | Fares |
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Full fare | $4.8 |
Fare Remarks |
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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 5B Bus-Bus Interchange Concession Scheme
New Territories West Cross-Harbour Route Interchange Concession Scheme[]
Template:Citybus New Territories West Cross-Harbour Route Interchange Concession Scheme
Bus deployments[]
5 double-decker buses are used in the morning on this route and increased to 11 in the afternoon, with major vehicles used being the Enviro500/MMC (8128-8490, also including 8400 and 8401 which are hybrid versions). Due to the narrow road at Eastern Hospital Road near St. Paul's Hospital, 12.8m buses cannot be used on this route.
Bus deployment evolution history[]
Bus deployment evolution history of Citybus Route 5B |
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During 1980s-1990s, this route was mainly served with Daimler Fleetline (LF, XF) buses. Air-conditioned buses were introduced to this route after Citybus took over in 1993, mainly using Leyland Olympian (3XX) buses, whereas the second-hand Leyland Atlantean bought from Singapore (6XX/A6XX) were the non-air-conditioned buses on this route. The former, with the Volvo Olympians (3XX-6XX) which was put into service later, were the main vehicles of this route for many years; as the former gradually retired in 2011, they were withdrawn from this route and the latter remained the main vehicle of this route, serving together with the Enviro500s (81XX) which joined later. As the passenger demand was high on this route and other trunk routes serving the Western District, in addition to that many passengers were just only riding for a few stops and unwilling to be seated upstairs, Citybus removed the lower deck rear-facing seats situated in the middle of the compartment on its 25 Volvo Olympians (511-535) between 2001 and 2002, and converted them into the additional standing spaces which were called "standing bays" by the industry to increase passenger capacity of each bus and to speed up passenger movement flow on buses. The 25 buses were then nicknamed as "Standing Bay Olympians" (水塘豪) by bus enthusiasts. Since mid-2010, one to two Enviro500s (81XX) occassionally appeared on this route, so did the urban version Dennis Tridents (22XX). Since the new batch of Enviro500 (82XX-83XX) arrived in Hong Kong gradually from mid-2012 onwards, that batch of buses became the main vehicles of this route. Besides, Citybus once arranged new buses and new demonstrator buses to operate on this route on a fixed basis, e.g. MAN 24.350 2500) which was registered and put into service in late 1997, was deployed on this route for some time; in the same period MAN NL262 single-decker city bus (15XX) also ran this route on a trial basis; since 25 August 2011, the bus company arranged the Scania K280UD demonstrator bus (8900) and an Enviro500 (8192) to operate on this route on a fixed basis for a month to test and compare the performances of both models, as a reference on buying new buses in the future. Citybus even arranged an Enviro500 MMC Hybrid 12m bus with diesel and electric hybrid Euro 6 engines (8401) to perform a maiden trip and test on this route, and later an Enviro500 MMC (8461) was arranged to operate on this route on a fixed basis to test and compare the performances of both models for submitting test report to the government. The concerned test ended in May 2017 and the bus of the same model (8400) operated on Route 969 also joined this route, as well as Routes 1, 5X and 10. |
Routing[]
To Causeway Bay/Hong Kong Stadium[]
- AM: To Hong Kong Stadium: The distance of this route is approx. 8.3km, and the journey time is approximately 50mins. (The average speed is 10km/h.)
- PM: To Hong Kong Stadium: The distance of this route is approx. 8.3km, and the journey time is approximately 60mins. (The average speed is 8.3km/h.)
Routing | Roads observed |
① Regular |
Victoria Road, roundabout, Victoria Road, Cadogan Street, Catchick Street, Praya, Kennedy Town, Des Voeux Road West, Connaught Road West, Connaught Road Central, Jubilee Street, Des Voeux Road Central, Chater Road, Murray Road, Queensway, Hennessy Road, Yee Wo Street, Causeway Road, Tung Lo Wan Road and Eastern Hospital Road |
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②* Weekday late night from Kennedy Town to Sogo Dept. Store |
Sai Ning Street, Victoria Road,..., Queensway, Hennessy Road |
③# Holiday omit Chater Road |
..., Cleverly Street, Des Voeux Road Central, Queensway, Hennessy Road, ... |
④% Holiday late night to Sogo Dept. Store only |
Sai Ning Street, Victoria Road, ..., Cleverly Street, Des Voeux Road Central, Queensway, Hennessy Road |
⑤& Weekday trips changing direction at Eastern Hospital Road |
..., Yee Wo Street, Causeway Road, Leighton Road, Caroline Hill Road and Eastern Hospital Road |
⑥! Holiday trips changing direction at Eastern Hospital Road |
..., Cleverly Street, Des Voeux Road Central, Queensway, Hennessy Road, ..., Yee Wo Street, Causeway Road, Leighton Road, Caroline Hill Road and Eastern Hospital Road |
⑦? Weekday during closure of Caroline Hill Road |
Yee Wo Street, Causeway Road, Leighton Road and Pennington Street |
⑧\ Holiday during closure of Caroline Hill Road |
..., Cleverly Street, Des Voeux Road Central, Queensway, Hennessy Road, ..., Yee Wo Street, Causeway Road, Leighton Road and Pennington Street |
Citybus Route 5B (Felix Villas/Kennedy Town → Causeway Bay/Hong Kong Stadium) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Area | Road | Bus stop name | Remarks |
1 | Mount Davis | Victoria Road | Felix Villas | |
2 | Mount Davis Path | Near University of Chicago Hong Kong Campus | ||
3 | Caritas Jockey Club Hostel | Near Chee Sing Kok Social Centre for Humanity Life | ||
4 | Island West Refuse Transfer Station | Compulsory Stop | ||
5 | Kennedy Town | Sai Ning Street | ||
* | Kennedy Town | Kennedy Town | Late night trips using routing ②④ start here Other trips omit this stop | |
6 | Kennedy Town | Victoria Road | Sai See Street | |
7 | Catchick Street | Davis Street | ||
8 | Praya, Kennedy Town | Belcher Bay Park | ||
9 | Collinson Street | |||
10 | Shek Tong Tsui | Des Voeux Road West | Kennedy Town Swimming Pool Sitting-out Area | |
11 | Hill Road | |||
12 | Ka On Street | |||
13 | Sai Ying Pun | Western Police Station | Near Bohemian House | |
14 | Centre Street |
Near Artisan House | ||
15 | Eastern Street |
|||
16 | Sheung Wan | Sutherland Street | ||
17 | Des Voeux Road Central | Wing On Centre |
||
18 | Central | Hang Seng Bank Head Office | ||
19 | Douglas Street |
|||
20 @ | Central | Chater Road | Statue Square |
Not applicable to holiday departures using Routings ③④⑥⑧ For Murray Road, please alight at this stop |
#%!\ | Central | Des Voeux Road Central | Alexandra House |
Applicable to holiday departures using Routings ③④⑥⑧ |
#%!\ | Chater Garden | |||
21 | Admiralty | Queensway | Admiralty - Queensway Plaza |
Near Pacific Place |
22 | Wan Chai | Hennessy Road | Luard Road | Near Southorn Playground |
23 | Stewart Road | Near Lockart Road Municipal Services Building | ||
24 | Tonnochy Road | Near CNT Tower | ||
25 ?\ | Causeway Bay | Hennessy Road | Sogo Department Store |
Late night departures using routings ②④ end here If Caroline Hill Road is closed due to activities at HK Stadium, all departures will operate on a circular basis with Routings ⑦⑧, then with Routing ④ of the opposite direction after stopping |
The following stops are not applicable to diverted routings ⑤⑥ during major events at Hong Kong Stadium | ||||
26 | Causeway Bay | Tung Lo Wan Road | St. Paul's Hospital | |
27 | So Kon Po | Eastern Hospital Road | Shing Kwong Church | |
28 | Tung Wah Eastern Hospital | Southbound stop | ||
29 | Hong Kong Stadium | ![]() | ||
After Eastern Hospital Road was converted to one-way northbound road, all departures before closure of Caroline Hill Road will use Routings ⑤⑥ and operate on a circular basis with the following stops observed | ||||
&! | Causeway Bay | Leighton Road | Caroline Hill Road | |
So Kon Po | Caroline Hill Road | South China Athletic Association | ||
Eastern Hospital Road | Tung Wah Eastern Hospital | Northbound stop Boarding and alighting will be conducted at the same time after stopping here, and will immediately begin trips back to Kennedy Town using Routing ③ |
To Felix Villas/Kennedy Town[]
- AM: To Kennedy Town: The distance of this route is approx. 8.2km, and the journey time is approximately 50mins. (The average speed is 9.8km/h.)
- PM: To Kennedy Town: The distance of this route is approx. 8.2km, and the journey time is approximately 56mins. (The average speed is 8.8km/h.)
Routing | Roads observed |
① Regular |
Eastern Hospital Road, Caroline Hill Road, Leighton Road, Pennington Street, Yee Wo Street, Hennessy Road, Queensway, Des Voeux Road Central, Morrison Street, Connaught Road West, Des Voeux Road West, Praya, Kennedy Town, Hill Street, Belcher's Street and Victoria Road |
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②* Late night from Yee Wo Street to Kennedy Town |
Yee Wo Street, Hennessy Road, ..., Victoria Road and Sai Ning Street |
③# Departures changing direction at Eastern Hospital Road |
Eastern Hospital Road, Tung Lo Wan Road, Causeway Road, Leighton Road, Pennington Street, ... |
④% During closure of Caroline Hill Road |
Pennington Street, Yee Wo Street, ... |
⑤& Specila departures from Tung Lo Wan Road |
Tung Lo Wan Road, Moreton Terrace, Causeway Road, Irving Street, Pennington Street, Yee Wo Street, ... |
Citybus Route 5B (Causeway Bay/Hong Kong Stadium → Felix Villas/Kennedy Town) | ||||
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No. | Area | Road | Bus stop name | Remarks |
1 @ | So Kon Po | Eastern Hospital Road | Hong Kong Stadium | ![]() |
Not applicable to departures using diversion Routing ③ during major events at HK Stadium | ||||
2 @ | So Kon Po | Caroline Hill Road | Caroline Hill Road | |
# | So Kon Po | Eastern Hospital Road | Tung Wah Eastern Hospital | Applicable to departures using diversion Routing ③ during major events at HK Stadium Departures of opposite direction using diversion Routings ⑤⑥ in circular operation connects to Routing ③ here |
Shing Kwong Church | Applicable to departures using diversion Routing ③ during major events at HK Stadium | |||
Causeway Bay | Tung Lo Wan Road | St. Paul's Hospital | ||
3 % | Causeway Bay | Pennington Street | Pennington Street | Departures of opposite direction using diversion Routings ⑦⑧ in circular operation connects to Routing ④ here |
& | Tai Hang | Tung Lo Wan Road | Queen's College | Starting point of special departures using Routing ⑤ |
Chinese Recreation Club | Applicable to special departures using Routing ⑤ near Wun Sha Street | |||
Causeway Bay | Moreton Terrace | Hong Kong Central Library | Applicable to special departures using Routing ⑤ | |
4 * | Causeway Bay | Yee Wo Street | Yee Wo Street |
Late night departures using Routing ② departs here |
* | Causeway Bay | Hennessy Road | Hysan Place |
Applicable to late night departures using Routing ② |
5 | Causeway Bay | Hennessy Road | Canal Road East |
near Times Square |
6 | Wan Chai | Tin Lok Lane | ||
7 | Kwong Sang Hong Building | |||
8 | Southorn Playground |
|||
9 | Anton Street | |||
10 | Admiralty | Queensway | Admiralty - Pacific Place |
|
11 | Central | Bank of China Tower | ||
12 | Des Voeux Road Central | The Landmark |
||
13 | Central Market | |||
14 | Sheung Wan | Cleverly Street |
||
15 | Connaught Road West | Western Market | near Macau Ferry | |
16 | Des Voeux Road West | Queen Street | ||
17 | Ko Shing Street | |||
18 | Sai Ying Pun | Centre Street |
near Artisan House | |
19 | Shek Tong Tsui | Water Street | near Bohemian House | |
20 | Hill Road | |||
21 | Kennedy Town | Praya, Kennedy Town | Kennedy Town Swimming Pool | near The Belcher's |
22 | Sands Street | |||
23 | Belcher's Street | Luen Bong Apartments |
||
24 | Victoria Road | Ka Wai Man Road | ||
* | Kennedy Town | Kennedy Town | Late nhight trips using routing ② end here Other trips omit this stop | |
25 | Kennedy Town | Victoria Road | Serene Court | |
26 | Mount Davis | Island West Refuse Transfer Station | Near Sai Wan Swimming Shed | |
27 | Caritas Jockey Club Hostel | Near Chee Sing Kok Social Centre for Humanity Life | ||
28 | Mount Davis Path | Near University of Chicago Hong Kong Campus | ||
29 | Felix Villas |
Ridership[]
Tai Hang Special Departures[]
Related incidents[]
Traffic accidents[]
Fire incidents[]
Passenger incidents[]
Gallery[]

Remarks[]
- ↑ Displayed as "Causeway Bay (Eastern Hospital Road)" (銅鑼灣(東院道)) on the Motion Bus Stop Display List.
- ↑ Departures from approaching midnight onwards will not go to So Kon Po and end at Sogo Department Store, and return trips will begin at Yee Wo Street.
- ↑ The term "trunk route" comes from the route maps issued by Citybus in the 1990s.
Realated articles[]
- Citybus Route 1
- Citybus Route 5 (Cancelled)
- Citybus Route 5X
- Citybus Route 10
- Citybus Route 25R
- CMB Route 56 (Cancelled)
- Citybus Route M5 (Cancelled)
- Citybus Route N8X
References[]
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Service Adjustment of CTB Route No. 1 (Happy Valley (Upper) – Felix Villas) and CTB Route No. 5B (Kennedy Town – Causeway Bay (Eastern Hospital Road))" [Traffic Advice], 2 October 2024.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "1 5B Service Arrangements" [Passenger Notice], 3 October 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Transport Department HKSARG, "Special Traffic Arrangements related to Rugby Matches at the Hong Kong Stadium on 23-25 March 2012 (Arrival Phase)" [Public Announcement].
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Transport Department HKSARG, "Special Traffic Arrangements related to Rugby Matches at the Hong Kong Stadium on 23-25 March 2012 (Departure Phase)" [Public Announcement].
External links[]
- Citybus Official Route Information: 5B (to Causeway Bay / Hong Kong Stadium)
- Citybus Official Route Information: 5B (to Felix Villas/Kennedy Town)
Template:Pig-CBNW
Template:List of Central and Western District Bus RoutesTemplate:List of Wan Chai District Bus Routes