The Kowloon Urban Bus Route 701 is operated by Citybus. It runs circular between Hoi Lai Estate and Mong Kok[Remark 1].
The "West Kowloon Line" Route 701 passes through the MTR Nam Cheong Station, before taking the West Kowloon Corridor to Mong Kok, then turning back after serving Mong Kok Road, Sai Yee Street and Argyle Street, and returns to Nam Cheong Station and the West Kowloon New District via Tai Kok Tsui (The Long Beach).
History[]
- 16 December 2003: The NWFB West Kowloon Route 701 commenced service to tie in with the commissioning of the KCR West Rail on 20 December, circulating between the WR Nam Cheong Station and the ER Mong Kok Station, via Tung Chau Street, Metro Harbourview, Olympic Station, Island Harbourview and Mong Kok Road to the Mong Kok KCR Station of East Rail, and then returning to the WR Nam Cheong Station via Argyle Street, Island Harbourview, Chui Yu Road and Hai Tan Street: [1][2][3]
- West Rail and East Rail passengers using Octopus cards could enjoy $1 fare concession when interchanging with this route, which was to be reviewed after a six-month trial period [4];
- Express trips were available during morning peak hours, departing from WR Nam Cheong Station and heading directly to Mong Kok Road after arriving at Olympic Station, without passing through Island Harbourview.
- 22 August 2004: Due to the meandering routing which resulted in severely low patronage, with a record low of seven passengers per bus, NWFB implemented the following drastic changes: [5]
- Launched the first "Free Bus-Rail Interchange Concession Scheme" with KCRC, whereby West Rail and East Rail passengers using Octopus cards could make free interchanges to this route for six months, which was subsequently extended several times;[6]
- The route was diverted via West Kowloon Corridor and Shanghai Street directly to Mong Kok Road andArgyle Street, and then return to WR Nam Cheong Station via Hoi Fai Road and Sham Mong Road, instead of bypassing Sham Shui Po inner streets and Mong Kok KCR Station, so as to shorten the journey time;
- The original service from Island Harbourview to Mong Kok was replaced by a new short journey section fare on Route E21.
- 13 June 2005: Extended from WR Nam Cheong Station to Hoi Lai Estate to tie in with the occupation of the housing estate. [7][8]
- 24 October 2007: Additional stop at "Aquamarine" at Sham Mong Road was added for Mong Kok direction. [9]
- 1 December 2007: Interchange concession with the KCR West Rail was cancelled. [10]
- 29 September 2012: In response to the permanent closure of the Nam Cheong Station Public Transport Interchange: [11]
- After reaching the junction of Tonkin Street West along Sham Mong Road eastbound, Mong Kok-bound buses were changed to turn right to Tonkin Street southwestbound, via Lin Cheung Road, Yen Chow Street West and Sham Mong Road westbound, then return to the original routing at Tonkin Street northwestbound;
- The original stop at Nam Cheong Station Public Transport Interchange was cancelled and replaced by "Fu Cheong Estate" bus stop at Sham Mong Road westbound.
- 22 December 2014: An additional bus stop at "Chui Yu Road" on Sham Mong Road wwas added for Hoi Lai Estate direction. [12]
- 15 December 2017: "Next Bus" Arrival Time Inquiry Service was introduced on this route.[13]
- 1 July 2023: Changed to be operated by Citybus following the Citybus and NWFB Franchised Bus Network Merger.
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 7/2022, please refer to the link below for the official route information.
| from Hoi Lai Estate | |
|---|---|
| Service Hours | Headways (mins) |
| Mondays to Fridays | |
| 05:45 - 06:05 | 20 |
| 06:05 - 06:50 | 15 |
| 06:50 - 08:30 | 10 |
| 08:30 - 08:41 | 11 |
| 08:41 - 09:05 | 12 |
| 09:05 - 17:05 | 15 |
| 17:05 - 21:05 | 12 |
| 21:05 - 22:15 | 14 |
| 22:15 - 00:15 | 15 |
| Saturdays | |
| 05:45 - 16:00 | 15 |
| 16:00 - 17:00 | 12 |
| 17:00 - 20:00 | 10 |
| 20:00 - 21:00 | 12 |
| 21:00 - 00:15 | 15 |
| Sundays and Public Holidays | |
| 05:45 - 15:00 | 15 |
| 15:00 - 16:00 | 12 |
| 16:00 - 18:00 | 10 |
| 18:00 - 19:00 | 12 |
| 19:00 - 00:15 | 15 |
- This route provides "Next Bus" Arrival Time Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Journey/Boarding Stop | Fares |
|---|---|
| Full Fare | $4.6 |
| Fare Remarks |
|---|
|
Octopus 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 701 Interchange Concession Scheme
Bus Deployments[]
The route is served by six double-decker buses; the main vehicles are Enviro500 11.3/12m (4020-4039/5518-5582), MMC 11.3/12m (4040-4091/5583-5599, 5601-5851) and Volvo B9TL 11.3/12m (4500-4529/5200-5224).
In August 2021, this route was approved for the use of 12.8m buses.
Routing[]
The distance of this route is approx. 8.4km, and the journey time is approximately 45mins. (The average speed is 11.2km/h.)
Via: Sham Mong Road, Tonkin Street West, Lin Cheung Road, Yen Chow Street West, Sham Mong Road, Tonkin Street West, Tung Chau Street, West Kowloon Corridor, Prince Edward Road West, Lai Chi Kok Road, Shanghai Street, Mong Kok Road, Sai Yee Street, Argyle Street, Cherry Street, Cherry Street tunnel, Cherry Street, Hoi Fai Road, roundabout, Hoi Fai Road, Sham Mong Road and Hoi Lai Street
| Citybus Route 701 (Hoi Lai Estate ↺ Mong Kok) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Sham Shui Po West | Hoi Lai Estate | ||
| 2 | Sham Mong Road | Aquamarine | ||
| 3 | Hoi Tak Court | near Fat Tseung Street West, West Kowloon Law Courts Building | ||
| Lin Cheung Road | ||||
| 4 | Sham Shui Po West | Sham Mong Road | Nam Cheong Station  |
near Fu Cheong Estate |
 West Kowloon Corridor
| ||||
| 5 | Mong Kok | Shanghai Street | Bute Street | Circular route return point |
| 6 | Mong Kok Road | Fa Yuen Street Market |
near Mong Kok Road | |
| 7 | Argyle Street | Tung Choi Street |
near Sin Tat Plaza, SKYPARK | |
| 8 | Mong Kok Market | |||
| 9 | Tai Kok Tsui | Cherry Street | Ming Kei College | near Olympian City 3 |
| Cherry Street tunnel | ||||
| 10 | Tai Kok Tsui West | Hoi Fai Road | The Long Beach | near Island Harbourview |
| 11 | Sham Shui Po West | Sham Mong Road | Chui Yu Road | near Metro Harbourview |
| 12 | Nam Cheong Park | |||
| 13 | Nam Cheong Station |
near Fu Cheong Estate | ||
| 14 | Hoi Tat Estate | near Tonkin Street West, West Kowloon Law Courts Building | ||
| 15 | Hoi Lai Estate | |||
Ridership[]
In the early years of Route 701's operation, patronage was recorded as low as 7 passengers per bus due to its circuitous routing. With the diversion of the outbound journey via the West Kowloon Corridor in 2004 and the occupation of Hoi Lai Estate in 2005, the patronage gradually increased since then.
According to the information submitted to the Government by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), the average daily number of passengers who benefited from the "Bus-Rail Free Interchange Concession Scheme" during the period from 22 August 2004 to 1 December 2007 is as follows:[14]
- 2004: 4,900 passengers
- 2005: 6,800 passengers
- 2006: 10,100 passengers
- 2007: 9,900 passengers
Related Incidents[]
Traffic Accidents[]
- 17 May 2014: At around 0000 hours, a Dennis Trident (1072/HY2330) heading towards Hoi Lai Estate crashed into a motorcycle in front of it at Sham Mong Road near Hing Wah Street West traffic lightpole in Cheung Sha Wan, causing minor injuries to three people. [15]
- 13 October 2014: At 8:30am, a Mong Kok-bound Enviro500 MMC (4048/SL1271) was travelling on Mongkok Road near Shanghai Street in Mongkok when it collided slightly with a Mercedes-Benz saloon car, which left on its own after the incident, while the bus driver felt sick and needed to be sent to hospital. [16]
- 2 November 2018: At around 7:00 a.m., an Enviro500 MMC (5718/UG6571) from Hoi Lai Estate was hit by a Mong Kok Cross-Boundary Express coach when it was travelling opposite to the Mong Kok Fire Station on Prince Edward Road West. The right side of the bus was slightly damaged, and the 25 passengers on board were not injured and were arranged to transfer to other vehicles to continue the journey, and the bus was then returned to the depot for inspection. [17]
"Umbrella Revolution"[]
- 29 September 2014: In the early hours of the morning, during the outbreak of the "Umbrella Revolution", a Dennis Trident (1117/HZ936) heading towards Hoi Lai Estate was surrounded by protesters on Mong Kok Road. Five hours later, when some protesters wished to board the bus to take a rest, they were dissuaded by four youths, who then found police sealing tapes and sealed the unlocked drop-off door, and sat down in front of the door to guard the bus on their own initiative. The bus was later used as a "drawing board" for the public to express their demands, and could not be towed away by an engineering vehicle until 3 October. [18]
Gallery[]
Volvo Olympian (VA) was once the main model used on Route 701
Route 701 observes Mong Kok Road
A bus on Route 701 was turning left from Sham Mong Road into Hoi Lai Street back to the terminus
More pictures, photos and related information about this article are available in the following Gallery Page:
Citybus Route 701 (Edit)
Remarks[]
- ↑ Shown as "Mong Kok Station" (旺角站) on the Motion Bus Stop Display List.
Related Articles[]
- KMB Route 18
- Citybus Route 701A
- Citybus Route 701S
References[]
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "TD announces transport arrangements for West Rail opening" [News Bulletin], 19 December 2003.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Introduction of NWFB Route No. 701 (Nam Cheong Station Public Transport Interchange - Mong Kok KCR Station (Circular Route)) and NWFB Cross Harbour Route No. 971 (Nam Cheong Station Public Transport Interchange - Shek Pai Wan)" [Traffic Notice], December 2003.
- ↑ Route 701 Information on NWFB Official Website (archived 8 May 2004)
- ↑ Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, "西鐵乘客享用轉乘優惠" (WR Passengers can Enjoy Interchange Concessions) [News Release], 10 December 2003.
- ↑ New World First Bus Services Limited, "新巴與九廣鐵路推出其首項巴士鐵路免費轉乘優惠計劃 西鐵東鐵接駁經改良的新巴701及702號線" (NWFB and KCRC Introduces First Bus-Rail Free Interchange Concession Connecting West Rail and East Rail via improved Routes 701 and 702) [News Release], 19 August 2004.
- ↑ Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Limited, "九鐵與新巴推出首項巴士鐵路免費轉乘計劃" (KCRC and NWFB Launches First Bus-Rail Free Interchange Scheme) [Press Release] , 19 August 2004.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "搬遷巴士總站安排 新巴第701號線 海麗邨至旺角循環線" (Relocation of Bus Terminus Arrangement NWFB Route 701 Hoi Lai Estate to Mong Kok (Circular)) [Traffic Notice], May 2005.
- ↑ New World First Bus Services Limited, "新巴796A、796S號線合併 701號線延長至海麗邨為永久巴士總站" (NWFB Merges Routes 796A and 796S Route 701 Extends to Hoi Lai Estate permanent terminus) [News Release], 10 June 2005.
- ↑ 新巴路線 701 加設分站 (NWFB Route 701 Addition of Bus Stop), hkitalk.net.
- ↑ New World First Bus Services Limited, "新巴與九鐵巴士鐵路轉乘優惠計劃" (NWFB and KCR Bus-Rail Interchange Concession Scheme) [News Release], 23 November 2007.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Public Transport Arrangement for Permanent Closure of Nam Cheong Station Public Transport Interchange" [Traffic Advice], 20 September 2012.
- ↑ New World First Bus Services Limited, "Routes 701, 701S, 971 Additional Bus Stop on Sham Mong Road" [Passenger Notice], 16 December 2014.
- ↑ Citybus Limited & New World First Bus Services Limited, "NWFB and Citybus Extend “Next Bus” Arrival Service to 74 Routes" [News Release], 15 December 2017.
- ↑ HKSARG, Concessionary interchange scheme on Routes 701 and 702 of NWFB [Press Release], 27 Feb 2008.
- ↑ 新巴撞綿羊仔三傷 (NWFB bus crashed on a motorcycle injuring 3), Apple Daily, 17 May 2014.
- ↑ Benz撞完走 新巴司機要唞唞 (Benz car fled after crashing NWFB bus, bus captain felt sick), Apple Daily Breaking News, 13 October 2014
- ↑ 旅巴西九龍走廊撞私家車 再衝落橋猛撼貨車釀3傷 (Coach bus crashed with private car at West Kowloon Corridor, then crashing onto truck after rushing down bridge, causing 3 injuries), Oriental Daily News, 2 Nov 2018.
- ↑ 堅持和平 四青年守護巴士 (Insisting peace: 4 teens protect a bus), Oriental Daily News, 30 September 2014.
External Links[]
- Citybus Official Route Information: 701 (to Mong Kok)
- Citybus Official Route Information: 701 (to Hoi Lai Estate/Nam Cheong Station)
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Template:List of Sham Shui Po District Bus Routes
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