The Kowloon Urban Bus Route 1A is operated by Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB). It runs between Sau Mau Ping (Central) and Star Ferry, via Kwun Tong Town Centre, Kowloon Bay (Kwun Tong Road), San Po Kong (Prince Edward Road East), Kowloon City, Boundary Street (←)/Prince Edward Road West (→), Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei (Nathan Road) and Jordan.
Route 1A is widely regarded as the undisputed champion of trunk routes, with KMB itself viewing it as a show-off route by repeatedly pioneering new developments in both the local and global bus industries through its deployment of vehicles on this route, such as becoming the world's first route to operate tri-axle low-floor double-decker buses in 1997.
This route introduced air-conditioned buses as early as February 1991, becoming KMB's fourth route to implement such arrangements.[Remark 1] After 21 years and 3 months, it was upgraded to full air-conditioned service in May 2012. It holds the distinction of being Hong Kong's longest-running route to offer both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned buses concurrently, and remains one of KMB's final ten fully air-conditioned routes.
History[]
Summary of changes[]
- 4 June 1968: Route 1A entered service, running between Kwun Tong (Yue Man Square) and Star Ferry.[1][2]
- 15 September 1975: Extended to Sau Mau Ping (Central).[3]
Detailed history[]
| Detailed history of KMB Route 1A |
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Route 2B was the main route between Kowloon East and Yau Tsim Mong, but it did not serve the area south of Yau Ma Tei. Coinciding with the demolition of older residential buildings in the Yau Ma Tei area to make way for public facilities[Remark 2]", the majority of residents relocated to Block 7 of Ngau Tau Kok Lower Estate. In order to facilitate the original residents to travel to and from Yau Tsim Mong, the Administration reorganised the Mong Kok service after the rehousing of the residents of Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate and introduced this route serving Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui to replace Route 2B, and supplemented it with another Route 11A.[4]
After the millennium[]
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Service hours and headways[]
The latest update is on 9/2024, see here for the referenced link
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| Detailed timetable |
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KMB Route 1A/Detailed timetable |
- This route provides Estimated Time of Arrival enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Journey/boarding stop | Air-conditioned fares |
|---|---|
| Full fare | $8.2 |
| Section fares (to Star Ferry) | |
| From Yue Man Square | $7.9 |
| Rhythm Garden | $6.7 |
| From Nelson Street Mong Kok | $5.8 |
| Section fares (to Sau Mau Ping Central) | |
| From HK & KLN Chiu Chow School | $7.9 |
| Kowloon Bay Station (East Kowloon Cultural Centre) | $6.7 |
| From Kwun Tong BBI - Kwun Tong Town Centre | $5.1 |
| 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:KMB Route 1A Interchange Concession Scheme
Tsim Sha Tsui BBI Interchange Concessions[]
Template:Tsim Sha Tsui BBI Interchange Concessions
Kowloon City BBI Interchange Concessions[]
Template:Kowloon City BBI Interchange Concessions
LWB Airbus Routes and KMB Interchange Concession Scheme[]
| LWB Airport Routes, AsiaWorld-Expo Special Routes and KMB Interchange Concession Scheme | |||||
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| 1st leg | Direction | 2nd leg | Direction | Discount for 2nd leg | Time limit |
| X33, X36, X40, X43, X47 | To Urban | KMB solely-operated routes | Unlimited | Positive difference between the fare payable for the 2nd leg minus the fare paid for the 1st leg Free if the difference is in negative number |
150mins |
| A30, A31, A32, A33, A33X, A34, A36, A37, A38, A41, A41P, A42, A43, A43P *, A46, A47X | 120mins | ||||
| KMB Solely-operated routes | Any | A30, A31, A32, A33, A33X, A34, A36, A37, A38, A41, A41P, A42, A43, A43P *, A46, A47X | to Airport | ||
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Note:
*: For interchanging from KMB Route B1 (Tin Tsz direction) to LWB Route A43P ( Airport direction), the actual fare paid for the first journey will be refunded for the next journey, except that the interchange concession cannot be enjoyed for the first journey of Route B1, otherwise, only the normal (i.e. maximum $6.0) interchange concession will be offered; for interchange from LWB Route A43P (Luen Wo Hui direction) to KMB Route B1 (Lok Ma Chau direction), passengers will be offered a free interchange concession for the second journey, but no interchange discount will be offered for the first journey of route A43P and no other interchange concession will be offered for route B1 thereafter. This special concession is not applicable to other LWB A routes (including Routes A36, A37 and A43). | |||||
Bus deployments[]
A total of 25 double-decker buses are assigned to this route as scheduled buses with the following model allocation:
- 14 Enviro500 MMC 12m (ATENU)
- 10 high-capacity version Volvo B9TL 12m (AVBWU)
- 1 Enviro500EV 12m (AED)
As this route passes through the Low Emission Zone for Franchised Buses, vehicles on this route must meet Euro V emission standards or above unless under special vehicle dispatchment changes.
| List of buses on Route 1A | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fleet no. | Plate no. | Depot |
| ATENU40 | SC7905 | Kowloon Bay Depot (K) |
| ATENU143 | SH6976 | |
| ATENU150 | SH8457 | |
| ATENU456 | TF7808 | |
| ATENU523 | TK4495 | |
| ATENU990 | UB6673 | |
| ATENU995 | UB7851 | |
| ATENU1000 | UB8222 | |
| ATENU1381 | VK2627 | |
| ATENU1401 | VK8296 | |
| ATENU1478 | VM8470 | |
| ATENU1483 | VM8826 | |
| ATENU1549 | VR4151 | |
| ATENU1595 | VS4306 | |
| AVBWU402 | TH1110 | |
| AVBWU552 | UW506 | |
| AVBWU563 | UW5437 | |
| AVBWU669 | VB6984 | |
| AVBWU679 | VC3766 | |
| AVBWU733 | VE2508 | |
| AVBWU735 | VE2771 | |
| AVBWU748 | VE9954 | |
| AVBWU751 | VF993 | |
| AVBWU783 | VJ1804 | |
| AED8 | WC3739 | |
The above list of scheduled buses are as of August 2025, forwarded from hk2007.buscess website (Chinese only). The above buses might not be listed according to running orders.
The related content is for reference only and will be updated according to fleet changes (check update list). To check scheduled bus changes, refer to detailed information on hk2007.buscess website.2825
Bus deployment evolution history[]
| Bus deployment evolution history of KMB Route 1A |
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Routing[]
To Star Ferry[]
- AM: The distance of this route is approx. 14.4km, and the journey time is approximately 75mins. (The average speed is 11.5km/h.)
- PM: The distance of this route is approx. 14.4km, and the journey time is approximately 92mins. (The average speed is 9.4km/h.)
Via: Sau Ming Road, Hiu Kwong Street, Hip Wo Street, Tung Yan Street, Yue Man Square, Hong Ning Road, Kwun Tong Road, Prince Edward Road East, Prince Edward Road West, Ma Tau Chung Road, Prince Edward Road West, Nathan Road and Salisbury Road
| Kowloon Motor Bus Route 1A (Sau Mau Ping (Central) → Star Ferry) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus stop name | Remarks |
| 1 | Sau Mau Ping | Sau Mau Ping (Central) | ||
| 2 | Sau Ming Road | Sau On House | ||
| 3 | Sau Ming House | |||
| 4 | Hiu Kwong Street | Leung Shek Chee College | ||
| 5 | Hiu Lai Court | |||
| 6 | Kwun Tong Mid-levels | Hip Wo Street | Cheung Wo Court | |
| 7 | Wo Lok Estate | |||
| 8 | Kwun Tong Town Centre | Yue Man Square | Yue Man Square |
Section fare begins here |
| 9 | Kwun Tong Business Area | Kwun Tong Road | Kwun Tong BBI - Millennium City (B7) | |
| 10 | Ngau Tau Kok | Ting Fu Street Kwun Tong | ||
| 11 | Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate | |||
| 12 | Kowloon Bay | Telford Gardens |
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| 13 | Kowloon Bay Station |
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| 14 | Kai Yip Estate | |||
| 15 | Prince Edward Road East | Richland Gardens | ||
| 16 | San Po Kong | Rhythm Garden | Section fare begins here | |
| 17 | The Latitude |
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| 18 | Kowloon City | Prince Edward Road West | Kowloon City BBI - Regal Oriental Hotel (B5) |
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| 19 | Hau Wong Road | |||
| 20 | Ma Tau Wai | La Salle Road | ||
| 21 | Earl Street | |||
| 22 | Ho Man Tin | Knight Street | ||
| 23 | Diocesan Boys' School | |||
| 24 | Mong Kok | Heep Woh Primary School | ||
| 25 | Prince Edward Station |
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| 26 | Nathan Road | Nelson Street Mong Kok |
Section fare begins here | |
| 27 | Soy Street Mong Kok | |||
| 28 | Yau Ma Tei | Wing Sing Lane Yau Ma Tei |
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| 29 | Jordan | Cheong Lok Street Yau Ma Tei | ||
| 30 | Tak Shing Street Tsim Sha Tsui |
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| 31 | Tsim Sha Tsui | Cameron Road |
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| 32 | Tsim Sha Tsui BBI - Middle Road |
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| 33 | Salisbury Road | Hong Kong Cultural Centre | ||
| 34 | Star Ferry | |||
To Sau Mau Ping (Central)[]
- AM: The distance of this route is approx. 14.7km, and the journey time is approximately 75mins. (The average speed is 11.8km/h.)
- PM: The distance of this route is approx. 14.7km, and the journey time is approximately 92mins. (The average speed is 9.6km/h.)
Via: Salisbury Road, Nathan Road, Argyle Street, Reclamation Street, Mong Kok Road, Sai Yee Street, Prince Edward Road West, Tung Choi Street, Boundary Street, Prince Edward Road West, Prince Edward Road East, Kwun Tong Road, Hip Wo Street, Hiu Kwong Street and Sau Ming Road
| Kowloon Motor Bus Route 1A (Star Ferry → Sau Mau Ping (Central)) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus stop name | Remarks |
| 1 | Tsim Sha Tsui | Star Ferry | ||
| 2 | Nathan Road | Tsim Sha Tsui BBI - Middle Road |
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| 3 | Kimberley Road | |||
| 4 | Jordan | Bowring Street Yau Ma Tei |
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| 5 | Yau Ma Tei | Kowloon Central Post Office | ||
| 6 | Man Ming Lane Yau Ma Tei |
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| 7 | Mong Kok | Changsha Street Mong Kok | ||
| 8 | Nelson Street Mong Kok |
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| 9 | Sai Yee Street | HK & KLN Chiu Chow School | Section fare begins here | |
| 10 | Queen Elizabeth School | |||
| 11 | Tung Choi Street | Prince Edward Station |
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| 12 | Yau Yat Tsuen | Boundary Street | Fa Hui Park | |
| 13 | Kowloon Tong | Caritas Dormitory Prince Edward | ||
| 14 | Beverly Gardens | |||
| 15 | St. Teresa's Hospital | |||
| 16 | Kowloon City | Prince Edward Road West | Hau Wong Road |
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| 17 | Prince Edward Road East | Kowloon City BBI - Regal Oriental Hotel (A6) | ||
| 18 | San Po Kong | The Latitude | ||
| 19 | Rhythm Garden | |||
| 20 | Choi Hung | Ping Shek Estate | ||
| 21 | Kowloon Bay | Kwun Tong Road | Kai Yip Estate | |
| 22 | Ngau Tau Kok | Kowloon Bay Station (East Kowloon Cultural Centre) |
Section fare begins here | |
| 23 | Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate |
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| 24 | Kwun Tong Road Sitting-out Area | |||
| 25 | Kwun Tong Town Centre | Millennium City (U4) | ||
| 26 | Kwun Tong BBI - Kwun Tong Town Centre (T3) |
Section fare begins here | ||
| 27 | Kwun Tong Mid-levels | Hip Wo Street | Wo Lok Estate | |
| 28 | Sau Mau Ping | Hiu Kwong Street | Sau Nga Road Playground | |
| 29 | Hiu Lai Court | |||
| 30 | Hiu Kwong Street Recreation Ground | |||
| 31 | Leung Shek Chee College | |||
| 32 | Sau Ming Road | Sau Ming House | ||
| 33 | Sau Fu House | |||
| 34 | Sau Mau Ping (Central) | |||
Related events[]
Public activities[]
In recent years, Kowloon Motor Bus has frequently deployed distinctive vehicle models on Route 1A and organised public relations events at Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier to attract public and bus enthusiast attention.
The Enviro500 MMC Hybrid 12m bus (ATH2) equipped with a Euro VI engine has been assigned to this route for testing since its introduction into service. On the morning of 11 November 2014, following a press conference at Star Ferry, KMB deployed the hybrid bus for its debut trip on this route[22][23], marking Hong Kong's first double-decker air-conditioned low-floor bus operating with a Euro VI hybrid diesel-electric engine on any route.
The world's first three-axle double-decker low-floor bus (ATR1) returned to its inaugural route prior to retirement. 21 September 2015 marked its final day of service. KMB organised a "Farewell Hong Kong's first Super low-floor double-decker bus" event. The bus captain responsible for the inaugural service piloted the final journey departing from Sau Mau Ping (Central) at 17:45 and upon the bus's arrival at Star Ferry terminus, the "New Era Bus" – a vehicle of profound significance in Hong Kong's bus development history – was honourably retired.[24]
KMB's new "Heartbeat of the City" livery made its public debut in May 2017 with routes 1A, 960 and 978 being the first to receive buses sporting this new colour scheme. The first Volvo B9TL (AVBWU563/UW5437) in the new livery entered service on this route on 28 June 2017. On 13 August that year, KMB organised an experience day of "Red Buses" on Route 1A in which 30 "Heartbeat of the City" liveried buses from various depots were deployed on Route 1A, turning the entire route "all red". Additionally, from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm that day, a booth was set up at Star Ferry, offering complimentary Red Bus postcards, DIY paper bus models, and model discount coupons and participants who took photographs with the Red Bus were provided with a complimentary photo printing service.[25]
Traffic accidents[]
Passenger and bus captain incidents[]
Fire accidents[]
Trivia[]
Free ride days[]
Gallery[]

Remarks[]
Related articles[]
- KMB Route 1
- KMB Route 2B (1st generation) (Cancelled)
- KMB Route 11A (2nd generation) (Cancelled)
- KMB Route 13
- KMB Route 13D
- Citybus Route 20A
- KMB Route N213
- KMB Route N216
- PLB Mong Kok - Yau Tong Route
- PLB Mong Kok - Sau Mau Ping Route
- PLB Yau Ma Tei - Kwun Tong Route
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "九龍汽車(一九三三)有限公司通告" (Notice by Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 2 June 1968.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "尖沙嘴至觀塘巴士 一號A綫今通車" (Route 1A between TST and Kwun Tong launched today), The Kung Sheung Daily News, 4 June 1968, p.4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "九龍汽車(一九三三)有限公司通告" (Notice by Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 15 September 1971.
- ↑ "四千二百八十一人遷牛頭角新區居住 重建油蔴地區 人烟最稠密最古舊地方卽將全部改觀 出現一現代化設計完善市民活動中心" (4,281 residents to be relocated to new Ngau Tau Kok area for Yau Ma Tei reconstruction: oldest places with dense population to be converted into modernised design with improved public facilities), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 21 January 1968.
- ↑ "九龍汽車(一九三三)有限公司通告" (Notice by Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 1 July 1970.
- ↑ "疏導太子道至荔枝角道交通 興建一條高架道路" (New flyover to be built to alleviate traffic from Prince Edward Road to Lai Chi Kok Road), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 12 March 1974.
- ↑ "基堤道勵德街交通改道" (Traffic diversion at Embankment Road and Knight Street), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 11 December 1975.
- ↑ "九巴三十路綫 明日開始改道" (30 KMB routes to be diverted from tomorrow), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 2 March 1976.
- ↑ "彌敦道一段復雙程行車 週二大改道" (Major diversions on Tuesday with the resumption of two-way traffic on Nathan Road), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 21 September 1980.
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "New Bus Stop Arrangement on Nathan Road in Yau Ma Tei" [News Release].
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "KMB Introduces Eight Octopus Bus-Bus Interchange Packages" [News Release].
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "KMB Strengthens the Bus Service of Route 1A" [News Release].
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "KMB Enhances the Air-conditioned Bus Service on Route 1A" [News Release], 29 June 2010.
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "Full Air-conditioned Bus Service of KMB Route 1A" [News Release], 3 May 2012.
- ↑ "200巴士迷高呼 1A熱狗再見" (200 bus fans wooed to say goodbye to hot dog buses on Route 1A), Apple Daily, 7 May 2012.
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "146 Additional Routes Provided with “Estimated Time of Arrival” – More than half of KMB & LWB routes" [News Release], 26 June 2015.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Service Adjustment of KMB Route Nos. 9 and 28" [Traffic Advice], 9 February 2018.
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "9 Service Upgrade" [Promotion Leaflet].
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "1A, 11B, 11D, 13D, 17, 93K, 95, 107, 213D, 296C, 296P, 297, N293 Temporary Relocation of Bus Stop" [Passenger Notice], February 2019.
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "1A, 11B, 11D, 13D, 17, 93K, 95, 107, 213D, 296C, 296P, 297, N213, N293 Re-provision of Rhythm Garden Bus Stop on Prince Edward Road East (E/B)" [Passenger Notice], June 2021.
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "1A Advanced first departure from Sau Mau Ping (Central) to 5:15AM" [Passenger Notice], July 2021.
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "Hong Kong’s First Euro VI Hybrid Double-Deck “hBus” Makes Maiden Trip" [News Release], 11 November 2014.
- ↑ "歐盟6代慳油「hBus」投入服務" (Euro VI fuel efficient "hBus" enters service), Oriental Daily News, 12 November 2014.
- ↑ "首部超低地台巴士退役" (First super low-floor bus retired), Oriental Daily News, 22 September 2015.
- ↑ The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "全港紅色巴士大召集!KMB紅巴體驗日 與眾同樂" (Chinese only) [News Release], 8 August 2017.
External links[]
| Bus routes terminating or turning back in Kwun Tong District (shown below are destination districts) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| New Territories West |
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| Shenzhen/Border Area | Kwun Tong 24 Hour Cross-Border Express | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Anderson Road Quarry Development Area (Tai Sheung Tok) belongs to Sai Kung District, please refer to the District Council constituency boundary map.
Italic - service during specified days/periods only; → - Outbound service only; ← - Inbound service only; (#) - outbound trips start at Diamond Hill Station (in Wong Tai Sin District); (*) outbound terminus located at North District and the inbound starting point is located at Tai Po District | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bus routes terminating or turning back in Wong Tai Sin District (shown below are destination districts) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Italic - service during specified days/periods only; → - Outbound service only; ← - Inbound service only; (#) - Return trip ends at Kwun Tong District | |||||||||||||||||||



