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This text is about the third generation of Route 18 in 1974:
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The Hong Kong Island Urban Bus Route 78 is operated by Citybus. It runs circular between Wong Chuk Hang and Wah Kwai Estate, passing through Wong Chuk Hang Station, Wong Chuk Hang Industrial Area and taking Aberdeen Main Road and Wah Kwai Estate on the return journey to Wong Chuk Hang.
History[]
CMB Era[]
- 26 August 1974: China Motor Bus (CMB) launched a new route 18 between Wong Chuk Hang New Estate and Tin Wan. Special departures were set up during peak hours on weekdays, between Wong Chuk Hang (Yip Fat Street) and Tin Wan.
- The Tin Wan Terminus was located at the Tin Wan New Street car park, which is currently between Tin Kin House, Tin Chak House and Sheng Kung Hui Tin Wan Shi Nan Primary School in Tin Wan Estate.
- 1 January 1975: In conjunction with the Southern District route reorganisation, the route number was changed to 78.
- 17 May 1982: The last bus departs at 19:00, and the evening service is replaced by Route 48 detouring via Tin Wan Street and Tin Wan Hill Road.
- 21 December 1984: In response to the construction of the road project passing through Aberdeen:
- The route was changed to run via Aberdeen Praya Road when going to Tin Wan;
- After reaching Aberdeen Main Road, buses towards Wong Chuk Hang New Estate were temporarily diverted to Chengtu Road and Aberdeen Praya Road to coincide with the temporary closure of a section of Aberdeen Main Road between Wu Pak Street and Aberdeen Old Main Street for six months.
- From 10 a.m. on 25 October 1985: the new Aberdeen Praya Road and flyover were fully opened to traffic. Buses towards Wong Chuk Hang New Estate resumed heading straight to Aberdeen Main Road instead of passing through Chengtu Road. At the same time, a bus stop was added in front of No.166 Aberdeen Main Road.
- 3 January 1991: In response to the admission of Wah Kwai Estate, it was split into two new routes 78A and 78B, a pair of clockwise and counterclockwise circular routes running between Wong Chuk Hang New Estate and Wah Kwai Estate: the former first passed through Tin Wan and then to Wah Kwai Estate, whereas the latter passes through Wah Kwai first and then Tin Wan. The relevant arrangement was of a transitional nature and aims to facilitate residents who have moved from Tin Wan Estate to Wah Kwai Estate to continue commuting to Tin Wan (Wah Kwai Estate is the receiving estate of the Tin Wan Estate redevelopment project).
- 10 May 1992: Routes 78A and 78B were merged back into 78, and the circular operation was cancelled. Instead, it ran bidirectional between Wong Chuk Hang and Wah Kwai Estate. It also no longer detoured through Tin Wan Estate to cooperate with the Tin Wan Estate reconstruction project.
- 4 May 1998: With the completion of the reconstruction of Tin Wan Estate, circular operation resumed, heading towards Wong Chuk Hang and passing through Tin Wan Estate again.
NWFB Era[]
- 1 September 1998: Changed to be operated by New World First Bus (NWFB) following the end of CMB Franchised Bus Service and the route was upgraded to a full air-conditioned service.
- 3 June 1999: Three additional special services were added in the morning from Monday to Friday, running from Wah Kwai Estate to Wong Chuk Hang.
- 28 January 2002: Three additional special departures were added from Monday to Saturday morning, running from Sham Wan to Wah Kwai Estate. The special departure was independently designated as Route 78P on 1 December 2003.
- 20 December 2004: Octopus Interchange Concessions with Citybus routes 70, 75, 90 and 97 were added to coincide with Route 43X no longer passing through Aberdeen, Aberdeen Tunnel and Wan Chai.
- 1 June 2009: An additional stop at "Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market" on Nam Long Shan Road for Wah Kwai Estate direction.
- 27 October 2012: In conjunction with the construction works of the MTR South Island Line (East) project, both directions were diverted via Nam Long Shan Road and Heung Yip Road to return to Nam Long Shan Road from 2 p.m. on the same day onwards, and the "Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market" bus stop on Nam Long Shan Road were suspended for buses towards Wong Chuk Hang.
- Mid-February 2015: Due to the completion of the Nam Long Shan Road project, both directions no longer detoured through a section of Heung Yip Road near Nam Long Shan Road.
- 1 June 2016: In conjunction with the extension of Citybus Franchise I, Octopus interchange concession with Citybus Route 70P was added.
- 28 December 2016: Terminus was moved from Wong Chuk Hang to Wong Chuk Hang Station to coincide with the opening of the MTR South Island Line:
- After departing from the new terminus, buses towards Wah Kwai would head onto the original routing of Wong Chuk Hang Road via Heung Yip Road and Nam Long Shan Road, no longer stopping at Wong Chuk Hang and "Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market" stops;
- After reaching Nam Long Shan Road, buses towards Wong Chuk Hang would first make a detour via Wong Chuk Hang Station Public Transport Facilities and called at the stop there, then return to Nam Long Shan Road southbound towards Wong Chuk Hang Bus Terminus and called at the stop there, and eventually returning to Wong Chuk Hang Station via Nam Long Shan Road northbound.
- 25 February 2018: After leaving Wong Chuk Hang Station public transport facility, buses towards Wah Kwai were diverted via Heung Yip Road eastbound and Ocean Park Road then return to the original routing at Wong Chuk Hang Road.
- 8 April 2018: Terminus was moved back to Wong Chuk Hang:
- Both directions continued to detour via Wong Chuk Hang Station Public Transport Facilities, and resumed stopping at the "Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market" bus stop;
- The first departure from Wong Chuk Hang was advanced to 06:07.
- 31 August 2018: "Next Bus"Arrival Enquiry System was introduced on this route.
- 30 September 2018: In response to the opening of Nam Long Shan Road Bus Terminus and the closure of Wong Chuk Hang Temporary Bus Terminus:
- Wong Chuk Hang terminal was relocated to the new bus terminus;
- Wah Kwai-bound buses were changed to start from Chan Pak Sha School.
- 1 August 2019: In conjunction with the re-opening of the Wong Chuk Hang Temporary Bus Terminus, the bus terminus was be restored there and the intermediate stop at "Nam Long Shan Road Terminus" was cancelled.
Citybus Era[]
- 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 6/2022, please refer to the link below for the official route information.
| From Wong Chuk Hang | |
|---|---|
| Service Hours | Headway (Min) |
| School Weekdays | |
| 06:07 - 07:02 | 11 |
| 07:02 - 07:20 | 9 |
| 07:20 - 07:33 | 13 |
| 07:33 - 09:33 | 15 |
| 09:33 - 10:55 | 16／17 |
| 10:55 - 14:55 | 20 |
| 14:55 - 15:12 | 17 |
| 15:12 - 16:00 | 16 |
| 16:00 - 18:00 | 20 |
| 18:00 - 19:00 | 15 |
| 19:00 - 00:00 | 20 |
| Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays | |
| 06:07 - 07:00 | 18／17 |
| 07:00 - 22:20 | 20 |
| 22:20 - 00:00 | 25 |
Special Departures[]
| Wah Kwai Estate → Wong Chuk Hang ● |
|---|
| Mondays to Fridays |
| 05:40, 05:55, 06:10 |
| Additional Departure on School Days: 07:20 |
| No Service on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays |
- This route provides "Next Bus" Arrival Time Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Journey/Boarding Stop | Fare |
|---|---|
| Full fare | $4.2 |
| 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 78 Interchange Concession Scheme
Bus Deployments[]
According to the "Schedule of Services", this route currently uses 4 double-decker buses, mainly the Enviro400 (7000-7059), Enviro500/Enviro500 MMC 11.3M (4020-4091) and Volvo B9TL 11.3M (4500-4529).
During the morning rush hours on school days, there will be a vehicle from Route 970X to support this route. It will run the Specila Departure from Wah Kwai Estate at 07:09 and then return to 970X.
New World First Bus (NWFB) received funding from the Hong Kong government to introduce two BYD K9R single-decker electric buses for testing. One of them (2052) was put on this route to test the driving performance, There is a sticker "This car can only travel route 78" next to the cab. The K9R, which was originally scheduled to be delayed in entering service, suddenly made its first departure on this route at dusk on December 29, 2015. As for the Yixing SDL6105／SDL6120 electric buses, which were also purchased with funding from the Environmental Protection Department, there is also one (2054) on trial on this route ( In July 2018, 2053 was transferred to Route 81). As the trial period ends in 2019, all electric buses will be diverted to the 13 route from May 25.
Routing[]
The distance of this route is approx. 9.4km, and the journey time is approximately 50mins. (The average speed is 11.3km/h.)
Via: Nam Long Shan Road, Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang Station, Heung Yip Road, Ocean Park Road, Wong Chuk Hang Road, Adberdeen Promenade, Tin Wan Praya Road, Wah Kwai Estate, Tin Wan Praya Road, Shek Pai Wan Road, Tin Wan Street, Tin Wan Shan, Shek Pai Wan Road, Adberdeen Promenade, Adberdeen Main Road, Wong Chuk Hang Road, Nam Long Shan Road, Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang Station, Heung Yip Road, and Nam Long Shan Road
| Citybus Route 78 (Wong Chuk Hang↺Wah Kwai Estate) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus stop name | Remarks |
| 1 | Wong Chuk Hang | Wong Chuk Hang | ||
| 2 | Nam Long Shan Road | Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market  |
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| 3 | Wong Chuk Hang Station |
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| 4 | Wong Chuk Hang Road | Nam Long Shan Road |
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| 5 | Victory Factory Building | |||
| 6 | Adberdeen | Adberdeen Promenade | Ocean Court | Near Adberdeen Sports Center |
| 7 | Aberdeen Promenade | |||
| 8 | Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market | |||
| 9 | Tin Wan | Tin Wan Praya Road | Hing Wai Industrial Centre | |
| 10 | Dairy Farm Ice & Cold Storage | |||
| 11 | Kellett Bay | Wah Kwai Estate | Mid-point of the Circular Starting Point of Special Departures | |
| 12 | Tin Wan | Tin Wan Praya Road | Dairy Farm Ice & Cold Storage | |
| 13 | Tin Wan Street | Caritas Oswald Cheung International House | ||
| 14 | Tin Wan Shopping Centre | |||
| 15 | Tin Wan Hill Road | Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education | ||
| 16 | Shek Pai Wan Road | Hing Wo Street | ||
| 17 | Adberdeen | Adberdeen Main Road | St. Peter's Church | Near the Adberdeen Centre |
| 18 | Yue Fai Road | |||
| 19 | Yip Yee Mansion | |||
| 20 | Wong Chuk Hang | Wong Chuk Hang Road | Yan's Tower | |
| 21 | Wong Chuk Hang Station |
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| 22 | Nam Long Shan Road | Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market |
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| 23 | Wong Chuk Hang | |||
Usage Condition[]
This route overlaps with routes such as 48, and due to the demolition of Wong Chuk Hang Village, passenger volume was once low. Since the opening of South Island Line, this line has provided services to Wah Kwai Estate and Tin Wan connecting Wong Chuk Hang Station, and the passenger volume has recovered. .
According to Bus Route Planning Programme and other information, the passenger capacity of this route is as follows:
- 1993 (CMB): February passenger volume was 168,958.
- 2005 Year: The average passenger capacity is 29% during peak hours and 20% during non-peak hours; daily bus routes between Wong Chuk Hang, Wah Kwai Estate and Tin Wan There were approximately 1,879 and 2,522 passengers respectively.
- 2008 Year: The maximum utilization rate is 41%, of which only about 30% of passengers travel between Wong Chuk Hang and Wah Kwai Estate.
- 2014: The average occupancy rate during peak hours is 64%, and the average occupancy rate during non-peak hours is 22%.
- 2016: The passenger volume was very low, with an average of only about 32 passengers per departure, and the average occupancy rate during peak hours It is 29%, and the average passenger load factor during off-peak hours is less than 10%. The operating situation is very unsatisfactory, and its fare revenue cannot cover daily operating expenses. It has suffered serious losses for many years and the Transport Department once recommended that the South Island Line be opened to traffic the service would be canceled and replaced by the Green Minibus (GMB) Routes 51B and 51M, but was shelved due to strong opposition from Southern District Councillors.
- 2017: The average passenger load factor at the highest loading point during the busiest half hour during peak hours was 61.6% before the opening of the MTR South Island Line; after the opening, it was 69.9%, and the number of passengers increased by 5.4%.
Related Incidents[]
- 9 April 2015: At around 2 p.m., the rear engine of a Dennis Dart (2089/ HY1379) heading towards Wong Chuk Hang emitted smoke while going uphill on Tin Wan Street outside Tin Wan, and no one was injured in the incident.[1]
Gallery[]
After Route 78 detours through Wong Chuk Hang Terminus, it will first turn left from Nam Long Shan Road to Heung Yip Road and go westbound, then turn right U-turn and go eastbound
Route 78 once used Neoplan Centroliner (60XX) as a common model
NWFB BYD K9R single-decker electric bus (2052) was once designated to run on Route 78 for testing
More pictures, photos and related information about this article are available in the following Gallery Page:
Citybus Route 78 (Edit)
Remarks[]
Related Aricles[]
- Citybus Route 48
- CMB Route 78A (Discontinued)
- CMB Route 78B (Discontinued)
- NWFB Route 78P (Discontinued)
- CMB Route 79 (Discontinued)
- Hong Kong Island GMB Route 51
- Hong Kong Island GMB Route 51A
- Hong Kong Island GMB Route 51B (Shelved)
- Hong Kong Island GMB Route 51M (Shelved)
- Hong Kong Island GMB Route 51S
References[]
- ↑ 車齡16年 新巴上斜冒煙 (A 16-year-old NWFB bus emitted smoke during uphill), Sun Post, 10 April 2015.
External Links[]
- Citybus Official Route Information: 78 (to Wah Kwai Estate)
- Citybus Official Route Information: 78 (to Wong Chuk Hang)
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