Hong Kong Buses Wiki


The New Territories Special Bus Route (Overnight Service) N73 is operated by Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB). It runs between Lok Ma Chau[Remark 1] and Shatin Central, via Sheung Shui (Choi Yuen Estate), Fanling South (Pak Wo Road), Tai Wo Service Road West and Tai Po Market.

Route N73 runs between Sha Tin, Tai Po and North Districts, facilitating passengers to connect to Route N271 for travelling to and from urban Kowloon, and also facilitates cross-boundary passengers to transfer to the Huang Bus at the Lok Ma Chau Public Transport Interchange for travelling to and from Shenzhen via the Lok Ma Chau Control Point on Hong Kong side and the Huanggang Port on the Mainland side.

At one time, this route became the only double-digit numbered regular overnight route of KMB; however, the record only lasted for a year or so, and was broken by the routes N36 and N39 in late 2015.

History[]

In view of the low patronage of Route N76 running to and from Lok Ma Chau, with an average of only about two passengers per trip, TD and KMB proposed to merge the route into Route N270 through the North District "Area Approach" Bus Route Reorganisation (i.e. the 2013-2014 Bus Route Development Programme in the North District) on the grounds of optimising the use of resources, which would run between Lok Ma Chau and Tai Po Central, and take Fanling Highway to travel between North District and Tai Po. The Administration submitted a revised proposal on 8 July, proposing that the new route be routed via Tai Wo Service Road West with en-route stops along the way. The motion was passed by the Traffic and Transport Committee of the North District Council with 15 votes in favour of the motion and two votes against it.[1]

The new route numbered "N73" after the merger was originally scheduled to commence service on 7 September 2013, the day of implementation of the third phase of the North District "Area Approach" Bus Route Reorganisation[2]; it was not until 4 September that KMB's press release revealed that the implementation of the North District overnight route rationalisation plan was postponed[3], so that a decision could be made after consulting the views of the Sha Tin District Council (STDC) on 10 September.[4][5] In November, TD submitted a revised proposal to extend the route from Tai Po to Shatin Central, advance the last bus time from Sha Tin, and reduce the frequency from the original 20-minute intervals to 30-minute intervals.[6] According to press reports, the new routes would commence service on 23 November 2013. However, the North District Council objected to the proposal on the ground of frequency reduction and referred it to the Working Group on Bus Routes under TTC for follow-up.[7][8]

In the face of the strong views of the NDC on the frequency and location of the Lok Ma Chau Terminus, the new routes were confirmed to commence service in the evening on 14 January 2014 as scheduled. KMB gradually arranged for the posting of publicity leaflets at its stops along the route, and issued a press release on 15 January announcing the launch of the overnight Route N73 on 18 January.[9]

Operational history[]

  • 18 January 2014: Route N73 entered service.[9][10]
  • 17 May 2014: Procedures for interchange concessions were simplified for interchange concessions from other routes to this route with immediate fare deduction by tapping the Octopus card once when boarding.
  • 27 June 2015: Estimated Time of Arrival Enquiry System was introduced to this route.[11]
  • 7 February 2020: Temporarily omitted Lok Ma Chau Bus Terminus due to the closure of the Lok Ma Chau Control Point, with "Tai Tau Leng" stop on Po Shek Wu Road as the starting point and "Choi Ngan House Choi Po Court" stop on Po Shek Wu Road as the terminus until 6 February 2023.[12]
  • 25 May 2020: A new stop was added at "Flora Plaza" on Pak Wo Road for Lok Ma Chau direction.[13]
  • 14 October 2024: Interchange concession with Huang Bus was introduced.[14]

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 1/2014, please refer to the link below for the official route information.

From Lok Ma Chau
Hrs Mins
Daily
23 40
00 - 05 10, 40
From Shatin Central
Hrs Mins
Daily
00 - 05 00, 30
This route provides Estimated Time of Arrival enquiry Service.

Fares[]

Fare chart (to Shatin Central)
Boarding stop
\
Alighting stop
Lok Ma Chau or after Sheung Shui BBI - Sheung Shui Station or after
Sheung Shui BBI - Sheung Shui Station or before $11.3 *
Kwong Fuk Estate or before $13.7 * $13.0 *
Shatin Central or before $22.6 $13.7
Fare chart (to Lok Ma Chau)
Boarding stop
\
Alighting stop
Shatin Central or after Kwong Fuk Estate or after Sheung Shui BBI - Sheung Shui Station or after
Sheung Shui BBI - Sheung Shui Station or before $13.7 * $11.1 *
Lok Ma Chau or before $22.6 $13.7 $11.3
Fare Remarks
  • Half-fare for children aged below 12 and senior citizens aged 65 or above; the remainder of the fare after half-fare will be counted as 10 cents.
  • Elderly persons aged 65 or above using Senior Octopus Cards or Personalised Octopus cards, Hong Kong residents aged 60 to 64 using JoyYou Card, and eligible persons with disabilities using Personalised Octopus cards with "Persons with Disabilities Status" can enjoy a flat fare of $2.0 per journey under the $2 Concessionary Fare. If the concessionary fare for eligible persons with disabilities aged below 12 and senior citizens aged 65 or above is less than $2.0 after a 50% discount from the regular fare, the beneficiary is only required to pay the original concessionary fare; if the original full fare for Hong Kong residents aged 60 to 64 or eligible persons with disabilities is already less than $2.0, the beneficiary is also only required to pay the original full fare.
  • Passengers are required to tender exact fare by cash or by Octopus card when boarding. No exact change will be given.
  • Passengers can also pay their fares through a variety of electronic payment tools (e-payment system), including using contactless VISA, JCB Card, MasterCard, UnionPay, American Express, Discover Card, Diners Club International Credit Card, UnionPay Credit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, AlipayHK "EasyGo" and UnionPay "QuickPass", BoC Pay "Ride Code" and WeChat Pay HK or WeChat "Ride Code". Passengers using this payment method are not eligible for the interchange concessions with non-KMB/LWB routes, nor are they eligible for the "Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme" and "Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities".
  • * Two-way section fare - Passengers are required to pay by Octopus card or mobile e-payment platforms, and to confirm once with the same card or same account when getting on and off the bus. If other means of payment is used or the card is not reconfirmed on alighing, the fare from the boarding stop to the final destination will be charged.

Bus-Bus Interchange Concessions[]

Related interchange concessions of Route N73 (Lok Ma ChauShatin Central)
Interchanging from Route N73 (from Lok Ma Chau) to other routes
2nd leg route Destination Concession Interchange location Time limit Remarks
271S Tai Wo Total fare $22.6 for two journeys Any bus stop that can connect to the second leg of the journey 150mins
N373 Central (Macau Ferry) 1st leg fare rebate Sheung Shui Station 120mins
NA40 HZMB Hong Kong Port Shatin Central
NA47 HZMB Hong Kong Port Kwong Fuk Estate
W3 West Kowloon Station Free for 2nd leg Any bus stop that can connect to the second leg of the journey
Related interchange concessions of Route N73 (Shatin CentralLok Ma Chau)
Interchanging from Route N73 (from Shatin Central) to other routes
2nd leg route Destination Concession Interchange location Time limit Remarks
271S Tai Wo Total fare $22.6 for two journeys Kwong Fuk Estate 150mins
W3 West Kowloon Station Free for 2nd leg Any bus stop that can connect to the second leg of the journey 120mins
Interchanging from other routes to Route N73 (to Lok Ma Chau)
1st leg route Origin Concession Interchange location Time limit Remarks
178R Wan Chai (HKCEC)/Central Ferry PiersFanling (Luen Wo Hui) Free for 2nd leg Any bus stop that can connect to the second leg of the journey 150mins
271S Hung Hom Station Total fare $22.6 for two journeys Tai Wo Bus Terminus
N373 Central (Macau Ferry) Free for 2nd leg Sheung Shui Station 120mins
NA40 HZMB Hong Kong Port Shatin Central

Interchange concessions with overnight routes[]

Template:Overnight routes N73 and N271 interchange concessions

LWB Airbus Routes and KMB Interchange Concession Scheme[]

LWB Airport Routes, AsiaWorld-Expo Special Routes and KMB Interchange Concession Scheme
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

Note:

  • Passengers are required to use the same Octopus card/credit card or the same mobile payment tool account (KMB/LWB "e-payment system") to enjoy the interchange discount.
  • Passengers can enjoy the above interchange discount at any bus stop where they can connect to a second route.
  • KMB journeys are not applicable to tourist routes (i.e. R-tail routes), unconventional special routes, racecourse routes and MTR Feeder Bus routes.
  • Passengers heading towards the urban area will not be able to enjoy the "Inter-route Interchange Discount" on the KMB route immediately after interchange after enjoying this interchange discount.
  • Airport-bound passengers who enjoy the "KMB Inter-route Transfer Concession" between the first and second journeys may still enjoy the interchange discount on the third immediately following the LWB route A at $6.0 or the second KMB route minus the concession fare, whichever is lower; if the second KMB route is a free interchange (including free journeys with KMB Monthly Pass) or the first two journeys are both If the second KMB route is a free interchange (including free journeys with KMB Monthly Pass) or the first two journeys are both KMB routes with interchange concessions, the interchange concession will not be offered.
  • Routes R8, S64 series, Long Win Bus Lantau Link BBI, Tuen Mun Chek Lap Kok Tunnel bus routes and all interchange schemes with other companies cannot be used consecutively with this interchange concession.
  • 50% discount for children under 12 years old; for passengers benefiting from the Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities when interchanging from LWB A Routes to KMB, the KMB one-way fare is the lower of the discounted concessionary fare (or 50% discount in the case of elderly or eligible persons with disabilities under 12 years old) and $2.0, therefore some interchange combinations may not be available. When interchanging from KMB to LWB A Routes, passengers may get back the actual fare paid for the first journey (i.e. the lower of the original fare (50% discount for elderly or eligible persons with disabilities under 12 years old) and $2.0).

: 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).

KMB/LWB and Huang Bus Interchange Concession Scheme[]

Route informations of KMB/LWB and Huang Bus Interchange Concessions
1st leg route Direction 2nd leg route Direction Fare concession Time limit
76, 76K Any Huang Bus To Shenzhen (Huanggang Port) Total fare $10.0 for both trips 60mins
276B, A43P*, NA43* 2nd leg free
B1 To Lok Ma Chau Station (Futian)
N73 To Lok Ma Chau
N276#
Huang Bus To Hong Kong (Lok Ma Chau) 76, 76K Any 120mins
276B, A43P*, NA43* Fare reduction of $10.0 for 2nd leg
B1* To Tin Tsz/San Shui House
N73* To Shatin Central
N276# To Tin Tsz

Points to note:

  • Passengers are required to use the same Octopus/credit card or the same mobile payment instrument account (KMB e-payment system) on the same card or device to enjoy the interchange concession.
  • *: Holders of JoyYouCard aged 60-64 who are benefiting from the Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities, or holders of Personalised Octopus with "Persons with Disabilities Status" already added are not eligible to enjoy these concessions.
  • #: Passengers interchanging with Route N276 are required to collect $10.0 Octopus add-value via the Octopus App or at Octopus kiosks within 10 working days to 30 days of travelling. This concession is only applicable to passengers who use Octopus but are not entitled to any free rides (including but not limited to KMB Monthly Passes, Free Passes, free rides derived from interchanges with other routes, etc.). If the N276 fare paid by a passenger is less than $10, only an Octopus add-on equivalent to the N276 fare paid will be provided.
  • For details, refer to KMB official website and Terms and Conditions (applicable to Route N276).

Bus deployments[]

This route is served by a total of 11 double-decker buses deployed from Sha Tin Depot (Sheung Shui Sub-depot) (S), mainly being Enviro500 MMC 12m (ATENU), Volvo B9TL 12m (AVBWU), Enviro500 MMC 12m semi-luxury version (E5T), Enviro500 MMC 11.3m (E6M) and Volvo B8L 12m (V6B).

Besides, buses may be dispatched away to routes 270A, 270S and N78.

Routing[]

The distance of this route is approx. 30.0km, and the journey time is approximately 75mins. (The average speed is 24km/h.)

To Shatin Central[]

Via: Castle Peak Road - San Tin, San Tin Interchange, Fanling Highway, Po Shek Wu Road, Choi Yuen Road, Pak Wo Road, Wah Ming Road, Lui Ming Road, Wah Ming Bus Terminus, Lui Ming Road, Wai Ming Street, Pak Wo Road, Yat Ming Road, Wah Ming Road, Wo Hing Road, Tai Wo Service Road West, Tai Po Road - Tai Wo, Po Nga Road, Tai Wo Bus Terminus, Po Nga Road, Ting Kok Road, Tai Po Tai Wo Road, Po Heung Bridge, Po Heung Street, Kwong Fuk Road, Tai Po Road - Yuen Chau Tsai, Tolo Highway, Tai Po Road - Sha Tin, Sha Tin Road, Yuen Wo Road and Sha Tin Rural Committee Road

Kowloon Motor Bus Route N73 (Lok Ma ChauShatin Central)
No. Area Road Bus stop name Remarks
1 San Tin San Tin Public Transport Interchange
Fanling Highway
2 Sheung Shui Po Shek Wu Road Tai Tau Leng
3 Choi Yuen Road Choi Pik House Choi Po Court
4 Sheung Shui BBI - Sheung Shui Station (D2) Section fare begins here
Two-way section fare ends here
5 Pak Wo Road Sheung Shui Government Secondary School
6 Fanling Cheerful Park
7 Ka Shing Court
8 Kei San Secondary School
9 Fanling Station BBI - Fanling Station (D1)
10 Fanling South King Shing Court
11 Wah Sum Estate
12 Wah Ming BBI (C3)
13 Pak Wo Road Yan Shing Court
14 Yat Ming Road Dawning Views
15 Wo Hop Shek Wo Hing Road Wo Hing Tsuen
16 Wo Hing Road Fanling
17 Tai Wo Service Road West Ho Ka Yuen
18 Kau Lung Hang Kau Lung Hang
19 Tai Po (Tai Wo) Nam Wa Po
20 Tai Po (Lam Tsuen) Tai Wo
21 Tai Hang
22 Chung Sam Wai
23 Wai Tau Tsuen
24 Tai Po Road - Tai Wo Hong Lok Yuen
25 Tai Po Tau Sam To Hang
26 Parc Versailles
27 Tai Po (Tai Wo Estate) Tai Wo Station
28 Ting Kok Road Tai Po Government Offices
29 Tai Po Old Market Tai Po Tai Wo Road Tai Po Old Market Park
30 Tai Po Market Kwong Fuk Road Kwong Fuk Road BBI (Y2)
31 Tai Po (Yuen Chau Tsai) Tai Po Road - Yuen Chau Tsai Kwong Fuk Estate Two-way section fare ends here
Tolo Highway, Tai Po Road - Sha Tin
32 Shatin Central Yuen Wo Road Wo Che Estate
33 Lek Yuen Estate
34 Shatin Central Bus Terminus Designated interchange stop for Route N271

To Lok Ma Chau[]

Via: Sha Tin Centre Street, Wang Pok Street, Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin Road, Tai Po Road - Sha Tin, Tolo Highway, Tai Po Road - Yuen Chau Tsai, Kwong Fuk Road, Po Heung Street, Po Heung Bridge, Tai Po Tai Wo Road, Ting Kok Road, Po Nga Road, Tai Po Road - Tai Wo, Lam Kam Road Interchange, Tai Wo Service Road West, Wo Hing Road, Lui Ming Road, Wah Ming Bus Terminus, Lui Ming Road, Wai Ming Street, Pak Wo Road, Yat Ming Road, Pak Wo Road, Chi Fuk Circuit, Pak Wo Road, Choi Yuen Road, Po Shek Wu Road, Fanling Highway, San Tin Interchange and Castle Peak Road - San Tin

Kowloon Motor Bus Route N73 (Shatin CentralLok Ma Chau)
No. Area Road Bus stop name Remarks
1 Shatin Central Shatin Central Bus Terminus Designated interchange stop for Route N271
2 Wang Pok Street Lucky Plaza
3 Yuen Wo Road Lek Yuen Estate
4 Wo Che Estate
Tai Po Road - Sha Tin, Tolo Highway
5 Tai Po (Yuen Chau Tsai) Tai Po Road - Yuen Chau Tsai Kwong Fuk Estate Section fare begins here
6 Tai Po Market Kwong Fuk Road Kwong Fuk Road BBI (A1)
7 Po Heung Street Kwong Fuk Road BBI - Po Heung Bridge (B4)
8 Tai Po Old Market Tai Po Tai Wo Road Lam Tsuen Riverside
9 Tai Po (Tai Wo Estate) Po Nga Road Tai Wo Plaza
10 Tai Po Tau Tai Po Road - Tai Wo Parc Versailles
11 Tai Po (Lam Tsuen) Hong Lok Yuen
12 Tai Wo Service Road West Wai Tau Tsuen
13 Tai Po (Tai Wo) Chung Sam Wai
14 Tai Hang
15 Tai Wo
16 Nam Wa Po
17 Kau Lung Hang
18 Wo Hop Shek Ho Ka Yuen
19 Wo Hop Shek New Village
20 Wo Hing Road Wo Hing Tsuen
21 Fanling South Wah Ming BBI (C2)
22 Pak Wo Road Yan Shing Court
23 Yat Ming Road Dawning Views
24 Pak Wo Road Flora Plaza
25 Fanling Fanling Station BBI - Fung Ying Seen Koon (D2)
26 Kei San Secondary School
27 Chi Fuk Circuit Fanling
28 Pak Wo Road Ka Shing Court
29 Glamour Garden
30 Sheung Shui Ng Uk Village
31 Choi Yuen Road Sheung Shui BBI - Sheung Shui Station (C1) Section fare begins here
Two-way section fare ends here
32 Choi Pik House Choi Po Court
33 Po Shek Wu Road Choi Ngan House Choi Po Court
Fanling Highway
34 San Tin San Tin Public Transport Interchange Interchange to Huang Bus for Huanggang Port

Related incidents[]

  • 1 January 2018: At approximately 2:10am, when a Lok Ma Chau-bound Enviro500 MMC arrived at Sheung Shui Station to drop off passengers, the bus captain was required to call the radio station for assistance due to the chaos caused by a large number of passengers boarding the vehicle.[15][16]
  • 1 January 2019: At around 2am, after the New Year's Eve countdown, many passengers waited at Sheung Shui Station for buses to the San Tin Transport Interchange, as the MTR's overnight service did not include Lo Wu Station and Lok Ma Chau Station. Due to the large number of people, during peak hours, over 1,000 passengers were waiting outside Sheung Shui Station, with many spilling onto the road, causing significant traffic congestion. Whenever a bus on this route stopped, it was immediately surrounded by the crowd, and police officers had to arrive on-site to assist in maintaining order.[17][18]
  • 2 April 2023: At around midnight, an Enviro500 MMC heading towards Shatin Central was travelling along Kwong Fuk Road when it allegedly ran a red light at the intersection with Nam Wan Road, colliding with a taxi and pushing it several metres forward, leaving the taxi driver injured.[19]

Gallery[]

More pictures, photos and related information about this article are available in the following Gallery Page:


Remarks[]

  1. Displayed as "San Tin Huang Bus Terminus" (新田皇巴站) on the electronic destination sign.

Related articles[]

  • KMB Route 73
  • KMB Route 73A
  • KMB Route N76 (Cancelled)
  • KMB Route N270 (Cancelled)

References[]

  1. "北區區議會通過重組巴士路線" (North District Council passed motion to reorganise bus routes), Commercial Radio, 8 July 2013.
  2. The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "Phase 2 of Enhanced Bus Network of North District to be Implemented This Saturday" [News Release], 20 August 2013.
  3. The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "Phase 3 of Enhanced Bus Network of North District to be Implemented This Saturday" [News Release], 4 September 2013.
  4. "九巴87A號線及N270號線的重組建議" (Rationalisation suggestions for KMB Route Nos. 87A and N270), Sha Tin District Council Traffic and Transport Committee Paper TT66/2013.
  5. 九巴87A(287X)號線及N270號線的重組建議 (已加相關文件) (Rationalisation suggestions for KMB Routes 87A (287X) and N270), hkitalk.net
  6. "跟進北區巴士路線重組計劃的改善建議" (Follow-up on North District Bus Route Reorganisation), North District Council Traffic and Transport Committee Paper TT66/2013.
  7. "將軍澳692線過海巴月底取消" (TKO cross-harbour route 692 to cancel by the end of this month), Oriental Daily News, 9 November 2013.
  8. N73 方案不獲北區區議會通過 (Proposal for Route N73 vetoed by North District Council), hkitalk.net
  9. 9.0 9.1 The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "Introduction of Night Route N73" [News Release], 15 January 2014.
  10. Transport Department HKSARG, "Introduction of KMB Route No. N73 (Lok Ma Chau - Shatin Central)" [Traffic Advice], 21 January 2014.
  11. The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "Estimated Time of Arrival Enquiry service introduced to 146 routes covering more than half KMB and Long Win Routes" [News Release], 26 June 2015.
  12. The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "N73 Temporary Terminus Arrangement" [Passenger Notice], February 2020.
  13. The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "N73 Addition of Bus Stop" [Passenger Notice], May 2020.
  14. The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, "KMB x Huang Bus roll out all-new Octopus interchange concession with offers up to one free trip on Huang Bus Huang Bus enhances service to run every 5 to 10 minutes throughout the day" [News Release], 10 October 2024.
  15. Post on Facebook group "香港突發事故報料區"
  16. Post on Facebook group "North District 北區"
  17. "【除夕逼爆上水】迎2019倒數後湧回內地 缺通宵巴千人困上水街頭" ([Crowding Sheung Shui on NYE] Crowds swerving back to Mainland after countdown, thousands stranded at Sheung Shui due to lack of overnight bus services), HK01, 1 January 2019.
  18. "煙花過後無車搭 內地人「佔領」馬路 旺角搭的去落馬洲 位位九百" (Mainlanders "occupy" roads due to lack of transportation after NYE fireworks; $900 each pax for taxi from Mong Kok to Lok Ma Chau), Apple Daily, 2 January 2019.
  19. "車Cam直擊|大埔九巴攔腰撞綠的再推前 目擊者驚叫:巴士佬衝燈喎" (Dashcam footage: KMB bus T-boned green taxi and pushed it foward at Tai Po; witnesses scream as bus blowed red light), HK01, 2 April 2023.

External links[]

Template:List of Overnight and Late Night Bus Routes