The North Lantau Shuttle Bus Route S56 is operated by Citybus. It runs between Tung Chung Station and Airport (Passenger Terminal 1)[Remark 1], via Tung Chung North, Aviation Fuel Tank Farm, SKYCITY (←), and operates as an infinite circular route.
The return trip from the Airport Terminal to Tung Chung Station on route S56 is more direct than that of Route S1, with Citybus adding the word "Express" to the electronic destination sign towards Tung Chung Station, and promoting that the return trip from SKYCITY to Tung Chung Station is only 10 minutes.
History[]
In conjunction with the conversion of the Chek Lap Kok Ferry Pier into the Cross-boundary ferry terminal, the domestic ferry routes had to be re-berthed at the Tung Chung Development Ferry Terminal, and in order to take care of the original ferry passengers travelling to and from the Ferry Terminal, Citybus operated this route to replace the Route S53.
- 7 December 2000: This route entered service, running between Tung Chung Development Ferry Pier and Airport (Passenger Terminal Building).[1]
- 27 January 2003: Interchange concessions with Routes S52 and S52P was introduced.[2]
- 26 April 2004: The service scope was extended to Tung Chung North[3], observing Tung Chung New Development Ferry Pier -> Airport -> Tung Chung New Development Ferry Pier -> Tung Chung North -> Tung Chung New Development Ferry Pier in a "figure of 8" pattern. Passengers travelling from Tung Chung North to the Airport need to alight at Tung Chung New Development Ferry Pier and use the same Octopus card to transfer to the next Airport-bound departure for free.
- 24 September 2004: The bus stop "Car Park 2" on Cheong Tat Road was cancelled when heading towards Chek Lap Kok Ferry Pier, and was replaced by the stop at Car Park 1 on the temporary road to the east of Cheong Tat Road.
- 17 December 2006: To tie in with the service reduction of NLB Route 37, off-peak trips were diverted to terminate at Tung Chung MTR Station, with return trips observing Tung Chung North in clockwise direction. [4]
- 10 December 2007: A new stop was added outside Cathay City on East Coast Road for Airport direction.
- 7 July 2008: In response to the suspension of the Tuen Mun - Tung Chung ferry route due to the failure to find a new operator, the following changes were implemented:[5]
- All trips changed to start from Tung Chung Station and end at Tung Chung Station, and run counter-clockwise via Tung Chung North → Airport → Tung Chung Station. Passengers travelling from the Airport to Tung Chung North can wait for the bus to depart to Tung Chung North upon arrival at Tung Chung Station;
- The intermediate stop at Tung Chung Development Ferry Pier was cancelled.
- 23 February 2009: To tie in with the cancellation of Route S56A, some trips in the morning and evening of each day were detoured via Tung Chung Development Ferry Pier. [6]
- 1 February 2010: The departure from Tung Chung Station at 18:25 between Mondays to Fridays detoured via Tung Chung Development Ferry Pier. [7]
- 4 April 2011: A new special trip one-way from Seaview Crescent to Cathay City (East) at 08:27 on Mondays to Fridays was introduced.[8]
- 21 October 2013: The bus stop positions at Tung Chung North and Passenger Terminal Building was amended.[9]
- 16 March 2015: Number of trips detouring via Tung Chung New Development Ferry Pier was added. [10]
- 20 April 2015: Diverted via Mei Tung Street when accessing the Tung Chung Station Bus Terminus as the old exit of the terminus was closed. [11]
- 1 April 2016: A new stop was added opposite The Visionary at "Ying Hei Road"; the last bus from Tung Chung Station to Tung Chung North was also changed to terminate at that stop.[12]
- 22 August 2016: The following changes were implemented: [13]
- All trips observed Tung Chung Development Ferry Pier;
- The last bus at 00:00 from Tung Chung Station would terminate at opposite The Visionary at Ying Hei Road and would not go to the Airport.
- 27 February 2017: The following changes were implemented: [14]
- Airport-bound trips were detoured via Ying Tung Road, with additional stops at "The Visionary" (northbound), "Ying Tung Estate" and "The Visionary" (southbound);
- The last bus between Tung Chung Station and the Airport would terminate at "The Visionary" southbound stop on Ying Tung Road after returning to Tung Chung Station.
- Octopus interchange concessions with Routes E11A and E21A were introduced to facilitate residents of Ying Tung Estate to and from urban areas.
- The special trip from Seaview Crescent to Cathay City (East) on Mondays to Fridays was cancelled.
- 30 March 2017: Starting from 2:30pm, buses towards AsiaWorld-Expo were diverted via Cheong Hong Road underneath the bridge section of Cheong Tat Road to "Regal Airport Hotel" bus stop for Tung Chung Station direction, and the "Car Park 4" bus stop was cancelled to tie in with the closure of the section of Cheong Tat Road outside the Government Lounge Carpark for the Airport Passenger Terminal Building extension.[15][16]
- 18 July 2017: The last bus at 00:00 was changed to follow the normal routing, heading to Tung Chung North first then to Airport and Tung Chung Station, then return back to Tung Chung North, and the arrangement of terminating at "Ying Hei Road" was retained.
- 3 November 2017: The bus Stop "Terminal 1 and Terminal 2" was temporarily relocated from outside Carpark 1 to outside Terminal 1 with effect from 10:00am to accommodate the conversion of the former into a coach pick-up/drop-off area.[17][18]
- 15 December 2017: "Next Bus" Arrival Time Inquiry Service was introduced on this route.[19]
- 23 July 2019: The "Terminal 1 and Terminal 2" bus stop was reverted back to outside the Coach Station and a new stop with the same name was added outside Terminal 1. [20]
- 26 November 2023: The following changes were implemented: [21][22][23]
- Airport-bound trips were detoured via Yu Nga Court, with new stops added at "Yu Nga Court" and "Yu Nga Shopping Centre" on Yi Tung Road, and also detoured via the newly completed SKYCITY Transport Terminal;
- Daily departures at 23:35 and 00:00 were changed to terminate at "Yu Nga Shopping Centre" stop at Yi Tung Road after detouring via Airport and Tung Chung Station.
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 11/2023, see here for the referenced link
| From Tung Chung Station | |
|---|---|
| Service hours | Headways (mins) |
| Daily | |
| 05:50 - 06:10 | 20 |
| 06:10 - 07:00 | 25 |
| 07:00 - 07:55 | 27/28 |
| 07:55 - 19:25 | 30 |
| 19:25 - 23:10 | 25 |
| The following departures end at "Yu Nga Shopping Centre" stop on Yi Tung Road after observing Airport and returning to Tung Chung Station. | |
| 23:35, 00:00 | |
- This route provides "Next Bus" Arrival Time Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Journey/Boarding stop | Fares |
|---|---|
| Full fare | $3.7 |
| 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 S56 Interchange Concession Scheme
Bus deployments[]
This route operates with two double-decker buses, mainly Enviro500 MMC 12m normal version (8507-8524) and 12.8m (6501-6588) with luggage racks, and Enviro500 MMC 12m luxury version (80XX) and 12.8m (68XX, 638XX) belonging to the Cityflyer fleet will be used for some trips.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most trips on this route were even entirely operated with Enviro500 MMC 12.8m luxury buses (68XX) of the Cityflyer fleet, which was only reduced since mid-2021.
If a bus serving this route has to be replaced, Citybus will normally arrange for the replacement bus to be parked at Tung Chung Station Bus Terminus to standby until the scheduled departure time and to pick up passengers for the airport via Tung Chung North, and the bus being replaced will change the destination sign to "Tung Chung (North) only" upon arrival at Tung Chung Station and will depart thereafter (or "Sorry! Not In Service" before February 2017, which was changed due to detours via Ying Tung Estate), so as to avoid passengers heading for the airport boarding by mistake, and will not pick up passengers along the way to "Yu Nga Shopping Centre" where bus captains will empty all passengers onboard.
Routing[]
The distance of this route is approx. 16.8km, and the journey time is approximately 50mins. (The average speed is 20.2km/h.)
Via: Tat Tung Road, Shun Tung Road, Tung Chung Waterfront Road, Tung Chung Development Ferry Pier Bus Terminus, Tung Chung Waterfront Road, Wai Tung Road, Man Tung Road, Ying Tung Road, Ying Hei Road, Yi Tung Road (northbound), roundabout, Yi Tung Road (southbound), Tung Chung Waterfront Road, Chek Lap Kok South Road, Scenic Road, East Coast Road, Airport Road, Cheong Lin Road, Cheong Tat Road, Airport North Interchange, Sky City Road, Second Sky Street, SKYCITY Transport Terminal, Third Sky Street, Sky City Road East, Sky City Interchange, Cheong Lin Road, Airport Road, Airport South Interchange, Airport Road, East Coast Road, Scenic Road, Chek Lap Kok Road South, Shun Tung Road and Tat Tung Road
| Citybus Route S56 (Tung Chung Station ↺ Airport (Terminal 1)) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Tung Chung Town Centre | Tung Chung Station  |
||
| 2 | Tung Chung North | Tung Chung Development Ferry Pier | ||
| 3 | Wai Tung Road | Seaview Crescent | near Novotel Citygate Hong Kong | |
| 4 | Man Tung Road | Coastal Skyline | near Tung Chung Municipal Services Building | |
| 5 | Caribbean Coast Phase 2 | near Tung Chung North Park | ||
| 6 | Caribbean Coast Phase 1 | |||
| 7 | Ying Tung Road | The Visionary | Northbound stop near Century Link | |
| 8 | Ying Tung Estate | |||
| 9 | The Visionary | Southbound stop | ||
| 10 | Ying Hei Road | Ying Hei Road | ||
| 11 | Yi Tung Road | Yu Nga Court | ||
| 12 | Yu Nga Shopping Centre | near Sheraton HK Tung Chung Hotel, Four Points by Sheraton HK Tung Chung Departures after 23:35 from terminates here after observing Airport and Tung Chung Station | ||
| Chek Lap Kok Road South | ||||
| 11 | Airport (Logistics Area) | Scenic Road | Aviation Fuel Tank Farm | For Scenic Hill, please alight at this stop |
| 12 | East Coast Road | Cathay Pacific City (East) | near Airport Golden Trumpet Trail | |
| 13 | Airport (Terminal Area) | Cheong Lin Road | Gate House No. 2 | |
| 14 | Cheong Tat Road | Car Park One |
||
| 15 | Terminal 1 (South) |
Circular route return point | ||
| 16 | Terminal 1 (North) |
|||
| 17 | Regal Airport Hotel | |||
| 18 | Airport (SkyCity) | SKYCITY | ||
| 19 | Airport (Logistics Area) | Scenic Road | Aviation Fuel Tank Farm | |
| Chek Lap Kok South Road | ||||
| 20 | Tung Chung Town Centre | Tung Chung Station |
near Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal Buses will stop for a while after arrival; some trips may shift bus captains and will wait till the scheduled departure time; passengers for Tung Chung North can wait on the bus | |
Ridership[]
According to District Council documents, the ridership of this route is as follows:
- 2019: The occupancy rate of the first departure was 30-40% of its allowed capacity.[24]
Controversy[]
The return journey of Route S56 from the Airport Passenger Terminal Building to Tung Chung Station is more direct than that of the S1 route which bypasses AsiaWorld-Expo and CAD Headquarters, which attracts some passengers destined for Tung Chung town centre but makes it difficult for passengers from Tung Chung North to board the bus. Some District Councillors suggested that Citybus should revise its routing to go from the Airport to Tung Chung North before returning to Tung Chung Station. However, Citybus pointed out that Tung Chung Station was the main boarding/alighting or interchange stop for passengers travelling in the return direction, and that changing the route would require additional resources and lengthen the journey time. [24]
Related incidents[]
Traffic accidents[]
- 23 June 2018: A normal version Enviro500 MMC Facelift (6579/VK6550) was travelling at Airport South Interchange when it collided with a private car in front. The windscreen window of the bus was damaged and the rear end of the private car was damaged, and only the bus captain sustained hand injuries in the accident. [25]
Gallery[]
.JPG "2208@S56(1129).JPG (1.27 MB)")
Remarks[]
- ↑ Displayed as "Airport (Passenger Terminal Building)" (機場（客運大樓）) on the Motion Bus Stop Display List.
Related Articles[]
- NLB Route 37M
- Airport Shuttle Bus Route S1
- Citybus Route S52A
- Citybus Route S56A (Cancelled)
- LWB Route S61 (Cancelled)
- LWB Route S64
- New Territories GMB Route 901
References[]
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "New Citybus Route S56 To Replace Route S53" [Press Release].
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "城巴推出機場穿梭路線S52/S52P與S56八達通巴士轉乘優惠計劃" (Citybus launches Octopus Interchange Concessions between Route S52/S52P and S56) [News Release].
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Extends Airport Shuttle Route S56 To Tung Chung North" [News Release], April 2004.
- ↑ 巴士新聞 2006年12月 (Bus News December 2006), BUStop.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "城巴S52及S56號線實施新服務安排" (New Service Arrangements for Citybus Routes S52 and S56) [News Release], 2 July 2008.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "持牌渡輪服務「屯門─東涌─沙螺灣─大澳」加開航班" (Additional sailings for "Tuen Mun - Tung Chung - Sha Lo Wan - Tai O" Licensed Ferry Services) [Traffic Advice].
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Route S56 Timetable on Departures via Tung Chung New Development Ferry Pier" , 1 February 2010.
- ↑ S56增設特別班次 (S56 Addition of Special Trips), hkitalk.net
- ↑ 金鐘西巴士總站 及 S56 線巴士站 重組站位 (Bus stop position rearrangements at Admiralty (West) B/T and Route S56), HKBF.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Route S56 Service Adjustment" [Passenger Notice], 9 March 2015.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Routes S1, S52, S52P, S56, X1, N23, N26, N29 New arangement for Tung Chung Station Bus Terminus" [Passenger Notice], 14 April 2015.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Route E11A, E11S, E21A, E21X, E22S, S56 & N21A Additional Bus Stop at Ying Hei Road" [Passenger Notice], 30 March 2016.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Route S56 Service Strengthened" [News Release], 19 August 2016.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Route E21X, E22S and S56 New Service Arrangements" [News Release], 24 February 2017.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Routes E11, E11A, E21, E22, E22A, E22P, E22X, E23, N11, N21, N21A, N23, N26, N29, S1, S56 Cancellation of Car Park 4 Bus Stop and Diversion" [Passenger Notice], 24 March 2017.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Diversion of Bus Routes and Cancellation of Bus Stop on Cheong Tat Road near Car Park 4" [Traffic Advice], 28 March 2017.
- ↑ 香港國際機場，"Invitation to Tender: Contract C17W002 - CAR PARK 1 ENHANCEMENT" [Tender notices and other announcements].
- ↑ Citybus Limited, " Routes E11, E11A, E21, E22, E22A, E22P, E22X, N11, N21, N21A, N23, N26, N29, S1, S56 Temporary Relocation for "Terminal 1 and Terminal 2" Bus Stop" [Passenger Notice], 30 October 2017.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, New World First Bus Services Limited, "NWFB and Citybus Extend “Next Bus” Arrival Service to 74 Routes" [News Release], 15 December 2017.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Route S56 Additional Bus Stop" [Passenger Notice], 18 July 2019.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Commencement of Operation of SKYCITY Transport Terminal, Sky City Road East, Chek Lap Kok" [Traffic Advice], 23 November 2023.
- ↑ Citybus Limited, "Citybus Multiple Routes Extend to Cover SKYCITY" [News Release], 23 November 2023.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Service Adjustments of CTB Route Nos. E11A, E11B, E11S, E22S and S56" [Traffic Advice], 23 November 2023.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "離島區議會交通及運輸委員會會議記錄（第139點）" (Minutes of the Traffic and Transport Committee of the Islands District Council (Point 139)), 2019.
- ↑ "再有機場巴士撞車 空姐乘客：行李飛晒落地" (Airport bus crash again; passenger: luggage fell out onto floor), Apple Daily, 23 June 2018.
External Links[]
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