Kowloon Motor Bus

The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited
Enviro500 MMCs with "Heartbeat of The City" livery are the main fleets of KMB
Company background
Chinese Name	九龍巴士（一九三三）有限公司
Company Type	Franchised Bus company
Former Name	Chinese: 九龍汽車（一九三三）有限公司
Abbreviation	KMB 九巴
Slogan	1985-2017: 九巴服務　日日進步 (KMB Services Improving Everyday) 2017 onwards: Heartbeat of The City
Parent Company	Transport International Holdings Limited
Establishment Date	13 April 1933
Hotline	2745 4466
Major Figures	Chairman: Norman Leung Nai-pang (梁乃鵬) Vice-chairman: John Chan (陳祖澤) Managing Director: Lee Chak-cheong (李澤昌)
Website	KMB website
Operational information
Operational Conditions	Franchised Public Buses
Service Area(s)	Kowloon, New Territories (except Lantau Island) Hong Kong Island (Cross-Harbour Routes)
Passenger Service Licence (PSL)No.	Open-top Bus: 3277A Training Bus: 3277B
Current No. of Routes	436
Vehicle Nos.	4,078

The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (九龍巴士（一九三三）有限公司, KMB) is a public transport operator operating franchised bus services in Hong Kong under the management of Transport International Holdings Limited, with its head office at 15/F, No. 9 Po Lun Street, Lai Chi Kok, and Lee Chak Cheong is the current Managing Director.

Introduction

The Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) has been operating franchised bus services in Hong Kong for over 80 years. Apart from being the oldest and largest franchised bus company in Hong Kong, KMB is also one of the largest privately-owned public bus companies in the world and a leader in the international public bus industry.

The Government granted KMB a franchise to operate public bus services under the Public Bus Services Ordinance to operate its bus network. As at 30 June 2023, KMB operated a total of 4,049 buses, including 3,892 double-decker and 157 single-decker buses, on 436 routes covering Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. The current fleet of all routes are low-floor air-conditioned buses equipped with a bus stop announcement system for the convenience of wheelchair users and other needy passengers.

The average daily patronage of KMB rose from 2.83 million passenger trips in 1998 to a peak of 3.1 million passenger trips in 2002, dropped to 2.76 million passenger trips in 2007, about 2.7 million passenger trips in 2008, about 2.58 million passenger trips in 2012, about 2.62 million passenger trips in 2014, about 2.66 million passenger trips in 2015, and rebounded to 2.71 million passenger trips in 2016. person-times. From March 2018 to March 2019, KMB's average daily patronage continued to rise, from about 2.82 million to about 2.89 million.

KMB's current franchise commenced on 1 July 2017 and will expire on 1 July 2027. As KMB is required to maintain a proper and efficient public bus service at all times during the franchise period and is willing to continue to invest in the operation of its franchised bus services, KMB is required to submit annually a forward plan for the subsequent five years, which includes proposals for service improvement and rationalisation of its bus routes, as well as plans for the acquisition and replacement of vehicles. To assess the adequacy and efficiency of KMB's bus services, the Transport Department (TD) examines KMB's performance through passenger satisfaction surveys, site surveys, vehicle inspections, and examination of information submitted by KMB on a regular basis, as well as public opinions.

Brief History

• 1921: "The Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited" was established.
• May 1932: Bus franchises for Kowloon and the New Territories were granted by the Government.

KMB's logo between 1933 and 1982

• 13 April 1933: Nam Hing, Chuen Hing and Cheung Mei bus companies were acquired and the Kai Tack Motor Bus fleets were purchased and the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited was established with a fleet of 106 single-decker small-sized buses, with Tang Shiu Kin as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Controller of Vehicle Operations; the first depot and headquarter of Pioneer Building (now the Pioneer Centre) were also completed in the same year.
• 1949: KMB became the first bus company in Hong Kong to introduce double-decked buses, the Daimler A, was the first to introduce 20 double-decker buses from the United Kingdom with higher capacity.
• 16 July 1973: Major restructuring of route numbering and service areas in the New Territories were implemented.
• 11 November 1980: Sun Hung Kai Properties launched a takeover bid for KMB and successfully acquired 35% of the shares on 17 November.

KMB's logo between 1982 and 2017

• 1983: The Customer Service Hotline was established.
• 1984: The Tuen Mun Maintenance Centre came into operation, setting a Guinness World Record for the "World's Largest Multi-storey Bus Depot".
• 1988: The standard of franchised bus services in Hong Kong was further enhanced with the introduction of the first successfully operated double-deck air-conditioned bus with main engine-driven air-conditioning system, the 11-metre Leyland Olympian (AL1/DX2437), which was painted in white.
• June 1992: The Chinese registered name was changed to "九龍巴士（一九三三）有限公司" to celebrate its 60th anniversary and to reflect its bus industry.
• 1996: Established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Long Win Holdings Limited (later renamed Long Win Bus), which was granted a franchise by the Government to operate bus routes between North Lantau and the new airport at Chek Lap Kok to and from the New Territories, and commenced service the following year.
• September 1997: Introduced the world's first double-decker low-floor bus, the Dennis Trident (ATR1/HJ2127), painted in champagne gold. corporate restructuring was completed in the same year and established "Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings Limited", which was divided into Hong Kong franchised public bus services, non-franchised transport services, non-transport services (e.g. property, multi-media business, bus models) and Mainland China transport services.
• 1998: First electronic bus stop announcement system with light-emitting diode (LED) displays were installed on buses.
• May 1999: Launched the "Nathan Road Hot Spot Shuttle" publicity campaign, featuring the cartoon character "KMB Boy" to promote the six Nathan Road routes 1, 2, 6, 6A, 9 and B1.
• September 1999: Electronic bus information displays at bus terminals were installed.
• November 1999: Obtained full ISO 9001 quality certification.
• 24 November 2000: The first two buses equipped with infotainment systems were launched, allowing passengers to enjoy quality audio-visual services inside the bus; and a subsidiary, RoadShow Holdings Limited, was established in December to expand the outdoor media sales business, and in the following year, the Group spun off RoadShow to be listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange.
• 11 May 2002: The new Lai Chi Kok Depot was opened. In November 2002, the Group obtained the ISO 14001 environmental management system certification.
• 30 October 2002: KMB was named one of Forbes magazine's "200 Outstanding Companies Under US$1 Billion".
• January 2003: Introduced the Enviro500, a new straight-staircase bus for safer access on staircases.
• 28 November 2005: The Group was renamed as "Transport International".
• 2009: Introduced Asia's first Euro V double-decker bus, exceeding the then legal requirement for newly registered diesel vehicles to meet Euro IV emission standards.
• December 2010: All 8,500 bus captains, station supervisors and service inspectors were given new uniforms in green and grey, symbolising vitality, dynamism and environmental protection. Silver-grey reflective tape was added to the back of the new uniforms to ensure the safety of frontline staff working at night or in dark environments.
• Early 2012: The External Affairs Section was established to strengthen community liaison.
• 9 May 2012: The last four routes (5A, 16, 93K, 98A) still served by non-air-conditioned buses ("hot dogs") were upgraded to full air-conditioned services, representing the full provision of full air-conditioned services by all KMB routes as well as by all franchised bus companies in Hong Kong, and the retirement of the only remaining non-air-conditioned buses.
• 2013: KMB celebrated its 80th anniversary with a series of "KMB 80th Anniversary" activities.
• 25 June 2014: The last batch of double-decker air-conditioned buses with 3+2 seats were retired.
• 22 August 2014: The 12.8-metre Enviro500 MMC, the highest-capacity double-decker air-conditioned bus in Hong Kong, was the first to be officially launched on Route 73X.
• 1 September 2014: KMB's first hybrid bus, the bus was painted with a unique full-body advertisement, with a white base colour and then lined with blue and green ribbons and green leaf patterns, and was stickered with a blue, named hBus, the same bus was licensed on 29 October and made its maiden trip on Route 1A.
• 1 January 2015: Lee Chak-cheong, formerly a director of Transport International, was parachuted into KMB as Managing Director.
  • Subsequently, a wave of departures swept through many departments, and even the management was not spared. 4 directors (Director of Operations Fok Choi Fuk (霍彩福), Director of Commercial Affairs Lui Siu Kwong (雷兆光), Director of Transportation Development Mark Savelli, Director of Corporate Affairs Chan Pik Kwan(陳碧君)) departed one after another, and only the Chief Financial Officer Ho Sai Kei (何世基) remains.

On 1 March 2016: Deputy Managing Director Au Yeung Kee Chun (歐陽杞浚) left the company to become an Executive Director of Transport International, Kowloon Motor Bus and Long Win Bus. During his tenure, he introduced electric buses and supercapacitor buses, implemented interchange measures such as Interchange BBI and Interchange BBI, and actively promoted the bus route rationalisation programme.

• 27 January 2015: The Estimated Time of Arrival Enquiry Service was officially launched, and by the end of the year, it had fully covered all regular franchised bus routes operated by KMB and LWB.
• Late June 2017: Launch of the new generation of "Heartbeat of The City" livery; at the same time, the retrofitting of free Wifi for double-decker buses commissioned after 2002 and USB charging device for buses commissioned after 2003 began.

KMB's logo from 2017 to present

KMB's Heartbeat of The City logo from 2017 to present

• 1 July 2017: The Government granted KMB a new 10-year franchise, in which KMB committed to introduce a number of new initiatives that have not been implemented by other bus companies, including:
  • Gradually providing free Wi-Fi service on about 2,000 buses (i.e. half of KMB's buses) by the end of 2020, which mainly serve routes with longer journeys or higher patronage;
  • KMB would co-operate with the Transport Department's (TD) "Hong Kong eMobility" mobile app and website to provide real-time arrival information, as well as to pilot the use of technology to provide real-time information on empty seats on the upper deck on the lower deck of buses;
  • KMB endeavoured to enhance barrier-free transport by piloting five new routes serving hospitals using buses equipped with double-wheelchair parking bays, and introducing two community hospital routes, namely routes 14H and 32H, serving United Christian Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital respectively, on a pilot basis;
  • Upgrading in phases the facilities at bus termini and interchanges with high utilisation, e.g. provision of passenger service points to provide free Wi-Fi service, route enquiry and Octopus add value services to waiting passengers, and provision of passenger toilets where appropriate, with a target of upgrading 50 bus termini and interchanges throughout the 10-year period of the franchise.
• 6 July 2017: The last batch of non-low-floor double-decker air-conditioned buses were retired, and KMB has since entered a new era of low-floor bus service for all its routes.
• March 2018: The KMB Monthly Pass was officially launched.
• 2 May 2018: With the approval of the Transport Department (TD), the Sha Tin and Tuen Mun depots provided bus maintenance and inspection services for non-franchised buses other than franchised buses.

• 22 March 2019: KMB's first bus with Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 body equipped with glass curtain wall was officially licensed and two buses with MCV EvoSeti body using Euro VI engines were officially licensed, with the model Volvo B8L.

• In 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of people travelling was greatly reduced. In February 2020, KMB said that the number of passengers were reduced by 30% to 40%, the number of bus trips werereduced by 10% to 20%, and the revenue from ticketing were also be reduced, but there is no plan to lay off staff or reduce their salaries for the time being. In addition, KMB and LWB have co-operated with a local research company to use internationally certified nanocatalysts to sterilise some of their bus fleets at the medical level, the first time that such technology has been introduced to Hong Kong by a transport company other than the MTR Corporation. When the nano photocatalyst is sprayed on the seats, armrests and other surfaces of the bus, it forms a protective film that continues to emit electrons and generate active oxygen, which immediately disinfects, kills bacteria and decomposes pollutants on the surfaces of the objects. Even after the light source is cut off, it can continue to operate for eight hours and a single spray can last for three months. KMB's 4,000 buses have gradually adopted this technology. Alcohol-based handrub is also available on buses for passengers' use, and disinfectant carpets are installed at boarding areas.

• In March 2020, to further strengthen its response to the threat of the COVID-19 outbreak, KMB announced that it would install two cross-travelling windows on the upper and lower decks of its 200 double-deck buses, which can be freely opened by passengers to enhance air circulation. The window openings are about 59 cm long and 16 cm wide, and a reminder has been posted to remind passengers not to stick their hands out of the window. Double-deck buses retrofitted with these windows will be operated on urban bus routes with a higher patronage, and the future decision on whether to retrofit more windows will be made subject to the response of passengers, with reference made to the design of buses in London and other places. Ventilation windows were closed for a period of time from mid-May and were reopened in early July.

• In late June 2020, in response to the ongoing 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak, KMB introduced the second wave of anti-epidemic measures, including the setting up of mask vending machines at four locations across the territory for passengers to purchase masks, which are manufactured in-house by Transport International. KMB has also taken measures to enhance on-board cleanliness, such as placing more disinfectant hand gel inside bus compartments, replacing the disinfectant carpets in the boarding areas of 3,000 buses, completing the retrofitting of windows on more than 200 double-decked buses, and commencing the second round of disinfection of bus compartments using nanotechnology-based photocatalysts. Other measures include installing 60 alcohol-based handrub dispensers at queuing positions at various interchange stations and bus termini to clean bus compartments with diluted bleach and disinfectant, cleaning the air-conditioning dust filters, and installing in-vehicle announcements and display screens to remind passengers to wear face masks and pay attention to hygiene. The maximum daily output of the company's self-produced masks is 100,000. In August, KMB pointed out that in view of the stabilisation of the supply of masks in the market, the company had decided to donate 200,000 masks per month to four categories of underprivileged groups, including tenants of sub-divided flats, the homeless, and persons with disabilities and intellectual disability, through the relevant welfare organisations, until the outbreak of the epidemic subsided.

• On 7 February 2021, AlipayHK and other mobile payments were activated on some KMB routes and the Fortune Ferry.
• On 13 February 2022, KMB launched the e-payment system on all KMB routes. Passengers can use credit cards with inductive payment function, mobile e-purse or scanning of QR code to travel, which is a cashless payment method, and covers all Interchange concessions on KMB and LWB routes and regional short-haul sectional fares.
• On 26 April 2022, KMB announced that it had placed an order for 16 new generation BYD B12A 12.1-metre pure electric single-deck buses, painted in Electric Green, with a seating capacity of 81 passengers, which can be fully recharged in one hour and 40 minutes, and have a driving range of about 200 kilometres after recharging.

KMB's new logo from 2023 to present

• 2023: KMB celebrated its 90th Anniversary of the founding of KMB by organising a series of "KMB 90th Anniversary Carnival" activities and gatherings.
• On 8 March 2023, the last three-axle double-decker low-floor bus with periscope and inward-opening rear doors was retired from service, and KMB has since moved towards electronic periscopes and push-out rear-doors on all its routes.
• On 30 July 2023, KMB's first electric double-decker buses entered service.

Detailed History

Detailed History of KMB's Development

Early history The Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited was established in 1921 with two bus routes - Tsim Sha Tsui ↔ Sham Shui Po and Yau Ma Tei ↔ Kowloon City, with only nine buses carrying fewer than 20 passengers travelling at a speed of 15mph on the two routes. In the late 1920s, KMB took over a long-distance bus route from Mong Kok to Yuen Long, numbered Route 9, from the Chung Mei Transportation Company, which became KMB's first route serving the New Territories, and up to the 1930s, there were already 80 buses serving more than 10 routes. 1930s May 1932: The Hong Kong Government restructured Hong Kong's public transport services by granting two bus service franchises - Hong Kong Island and Kowloon/New Territories, the latter to KMB. 13 April 1933: Tang Shiu Kin, Lui Shui Tak, Lui Leung, Tam Woon Tong and Lam Ming Foon set up the corporate structure for KMB, and at the same time amalgamated the Nam Hing Bus Company, Chuen Hing Bus Company and Cheung Mei Bus Company, resulting in the establishment of Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, with Tang Shiu Kin as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Controller of the Motor Vehicle Division, and the completion of the first depot and headquarters of the KMB, Pioneer Hong Kong, the same year. The first depot and headquarters of KMB, Pioneer Building (now Pioneer Centre), were also completed in the same year. On 11 June, a regional franchise came into effect, with KMB taking over 18 routes in Kowloon and the New Territories operated by China Motor Bus (CMB) and Kai Tack Motor Bus. In its early years, the company operated 106 small single-deck buses with first-class soft seats and second-class hard seats. To alight from a bus, passengers pulled the rope on the roof of the bus and rang a brass bell next to the driver at the front of the bus, and the driver would stop at the next bus stop. 1940s 25 December 1941: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. At that time, KMB operated 17 routes and increased its fleet to 140 buses. However, the Japanese army commandeered all of KMB's buses and the company was forced to suspend bus services, and after the Second World War in 1945, KMB was left with 17 buses and could only maintain service on two routes. February 1946: KMB converted second-hand military vehicles and lorries into passenger vehicles and abolished the seating class system in order to resume bus services as soon as possible. 1949: KMB became the first bus company in Hong Kong to introduce double-decked buses, the Daimler A, was the first to introduce 20 double-decker buses from the United Kingdom with higher capacity. Since then double-deckers become the mainstream for Hong Kong bus services. 1950s 1957: KMB's new To Kwa Wan headquarters completed. 1960s 22 April 1960: After a trial run since 18 May 1958, KMB formally opened Route 1 on Lantau Island and purchased two buses to run the service. However, the remoteness of Lantau Island meant that only a small number of people travelled there on weekdays, while competition from white-plate buses during holidays led to heavy losses, and KMB had no obligation to provide public transport services to the outlying islands. Therefore the Lantau Island Route 1 was eventually cancelled on 1 November 1965. [30] 10 May 1961: KMB was listed. 1970s The year 1972 was a turning point for KMB, as the Cross-Harbour Tunnel was officially opened and KMB, which had been providing bus services to Kowloon and the New Territories, entered Hong Kong Island for the first time. 1972: KMB revolutionised the way passengers paid their fares. In the early days, there was a conductor and an inspector on the buses, each travelling back and forth. The conductor was responsible for selling tickets, while the inspector was responsible for checking the tickets of passengers who had not purchased a ticket. The fare for passengers boarding a bus at the same station might be different, depending on the length of the journey. At that time, both the front and rear gates of buses allowed passengers to board and alight freely, and some passengers who boarded the buses did not have to pay for a ticket because they had already alighted at the bus stop before the conductor arrived. To minimise fare evasion and reduce manpower, after months of testing, KMB officially adopted the one-person-control mode from 1972 onwards, i.e. a coinbox was installed near the driving cab, with the driver acting as an inspector to monitor whether each passenger had deposited sufficient fare in the cash box. From then on, regardless of the length of the journey, all passengers boarding a bus at the same stop boarded the bus at the front door and paid the same fare. 16 July 1973: KMB reorganised some of its bus routes. Most of the New Territories routes were renumbered and their route arrangements are still in use today, as shown in the 1973 New Territories Bus Route Reorganisation. In the same year, the KMB Technical Training School, formerly known as the Apprentice Training Centre, was established to provide KMB with bus maintenance technicians. 1975: In order to attract motorists to switch to buses, KMB introduced luxury bus services and operated a number of luxury bus routes in the 1970s and 1980s, such as Route 200 (Airport ↔ Central) and Route 201 (Airport ↔ Tsim Sha Tsui), etc. However, each of these routes was cancelled or reorganised, except for Route 208 (Broadcast Drive ↔ Tsim Sha Tsui East), which has been in operation since then. 1980s 11 November 1980: Sun Hung Kai Properties announced its acquisition of KMB's shares in the stock market, triggering a takeover battle, and on 17 November, Sun Hung Kai Properties successfully acquired KMB and held a total of 39.5% of KMB's shares. 1980s: With the opening of the Mass Transit Railway and the growing popularity of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR), KMB began to reorganise its routes and provide feeder services (i.e., routes with numbers ending in K and M. Among the first M-fixed routes, only Route 13M has been in operation since then.) In 1982, KMB also launched its first urban express bus routes (i.e., routes ending in X), namely, Routes 14X and 15X (now 215X), were first introduced to attract more people to travel on KMB in a point-to-point mode. On the other hand, the bus network was further expanded as a result of the synchronised development of new towns. 1981: KMB introduced the first high-capacity three-axle double-deck bus from the United Kingdom, the MCW Metrobus 12-metre double-decker bus (M1 [later changed to 3M1]/CN870), to cope with the increasing passenger volume. 1982: KMB Apprentice Training Centre was renamed KMB Technical Training School and continued to provide training in bus maintenance techniques. 1983: KMB changed the title of "Driver" to "Bus Captain". 1988: After years of trials with manufacturers, KMB introduced the first double-decker air-conditioned bus, the Leyland Olympian 11m (AL1/DX2437), to further enhance bus services in Hong Kong. 1989: KMB began recruiting female bus captains. August 1989: KMB installed the Common Stored-Value Ticket payment system on some of its routes connecting to Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations. 1990s 1990: KMB's new headquarters in Lai Chi Kok (now 9 Po Lun Street) was opened, replacing the old headquarters in Mong Kok. 1992: KMB was the first company to introduce buses fitted with Euro 1 environmentally-friendly engines that met the European Union's emission standards. 1992: KMB's registered Chinese name was changed from "九龍汽車（一九三三）有限公司" to "九龍巴士（一九三三）有限公司". 1995: To build up its corporate image, KMB added a green plastic plaque on top of the cab with the name of the bus driver and staff number. 1996: KMB introduced for the first time low-floor buses, "Dennis Dart SLF" single-decker buses (AA49/GU719), to facilitate the use of bus services by the disabled, as well as the first introduction of Euro 2 buses. 1996: Long Win Holdings Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KMB, was granted a franchise by the then Hong Kong Government to operate bus routes between North Lantau and the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, and commenced service the following year. This was a first for KMB, as it was the first time that buses from outside Lantau had ever operated there. 1997: The Lantau Link was officially opened and attracted a large number of tourists between May and June. KMB introduced two additional routes, X31 and X32, on holidays, departing from Tsuen Wan Ferry and Kwai Fong MTR Station respectively, passing through the Lantau Link and the North Lantau Highway, before turning back without entering Tung Chung New Town, in order to satisfy the public's wish to visit the Lantau Link and take a joyride, which was the first time in Hong Kong's bus history that a bus had ever done so. September 1997: KMB, together with the other four major transport operators - the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC), the Citybus Limited and the Hong Kong Ferry Company Limited (HKF) - jointly launched the Octopus smart card payment system. In the same year, the KMB Group was reorganised, with KMB, LWB and other member companies becoming subsidiaries of a newly formed company called "Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings Limited", whose major shareholders remained to be SHKP and others. KMB Holdings was renamed "Transport International Holdings Limited" in 2005. At the same time, KMB introduced the world's first double-deck, low-floor bus, the Dennis Trident (ATR1/HJ2127), which facilitated the company to strike a balance between the use of bus services by the disabled and the need for high capacity. 1998: KMB established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Sun Bus Company Limited, specialising in the provision of non-franchised bus services such as resident buses, shuttle buses for staff and students, and shopping mall shuttle buses, and has now become one of the largest non-franchised bus companies in Hong Kong. 1998: KMB began installing the Shanghai CanRun Bus Stop Announcement System on its air-conditioned buses, which is controlled by the bus driver and displays the name of the bus stop on the electronic display in the bus compartment, and announces the name of the bus stop in Cantonese, English and Putonghua, and started to extend the system to non-air-conditioned buses in 2005. 1999: KMB collaborated with Commercial Radio to install radio facilities on buses to broadcast Commercial Radio 2 programmes and, after a certain period of time, RTHK Radio 2 programmes. 2000s 2000: The use of smart card Octopus to pay fares became commonplace, and KMB completed the installation of Octopus card readers on its entire fleet in April of the same year. On 25 November the same year, KMB took the lead in introducing the RoadShow system, which allowed passengers to watch information and entertainment programmes on television screens installed on board the buses; however, some passengers considered the noise a nuisance. 2001: KMB Sha Tin Depot was the first bus depot in Hong Kong to obtain the ISO 14001 Quality Certificate - Environmental Management System in November. 2002: KMB upgraded all ISO 9001:1994 certificates to ISO 9001:2000. In October 2002, KMB was awarded the "Forbes 200 Outstanding Companies Under US$1 Billion" by Forbes magazine. October 2002: KMB built Hong Kong's first air-conditioned kiosk on the platform of the Route 42C bus terminus at Lam Tin MTR Station. The kiosk is sealed with transparent tempered glass and is equipped with a thermostatic air-conditioning system with fresh air supplied by a separate system, allowing passengers to wait for their buses in a fresh, quiet and comfortable environment. The kiosk is equipped with a multi-media information system and an electronic screen displaying details of the next bus departure time, route and fare. January 2003: KMB introduced the Enviro500 (ATE1/KX675), an innovative direct-staircase bus that provides safer boarding and alighting, as well as a wide range of new equipment. September 2003: KMB installed Hong Kong's first digital bus stop outside Silvercord on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, equipped with computer monitors to provide traffic and travel information. In November 2003, KMB's new Lai Chi Kok Depot was awarded the ISO 14001 quality certificate. September 2004: KMB introduced the world's first batch of super tyres specially designed for double-decker buses. Although resources could be saved, the cost of the tyres increased and they were eventually abandoned. May 2006: KMB introduced buses equipped with the new Euro IV engines, namely the Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro500 (ATEU1/MJ2927) and Volvo B9TL (AVD1/MF5119, original licence plate LJ7006). 2 December 2007: KMB launched its then largest Octopus interchange concession, involving seven groups of 21 routes covering West Kowloon, Tsuen Wan, Sham Tseng, Kwai Tsing, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Yuen Long, Hung Shui Kiu, Tuen Mun and New Territories North. At that time, KMB already had 68 different sets of Interchange concessions covering 258 routes. In addition, to tie in with the rail merger, KMB changed the names of its bus stops located at the former MTRC and KCRC stations to "Railway Stations", affecting a total of about 300 bus stops, which is the largest scale of name change in recent times. As of September 2009, all buses using electronic route signs had been renamed as "Railway Stations", except for a very small number of buses using plastic destination plates, which used to be named as "KCR Stations" or "MTR Stations". 8 June 2008: KMB's fare increase of 4.5% was approved by the Executive Council, which was half of the 9% fare increase applied for. February 2009: KMB introduced the first Euro IV single-decker bus, Scania K230UB, which arrived in Hong Kong in mid-February 2009 and was licensed in April for service in May. The licence was issued in April and the bus was put into service in May. The licence plate of the first bus is NT8619 (ASB1). The order includes 20 10.6-metre and 10 12-metre models. KMB subsequently introduced 20 more 12-metre buses of the same model. February 2009: KMB replaced a Euro IV environmentally-friendly bus (ATEU1/MJ2927) with a Euro V environmentally-friendly engine for a cleaner environment. 2010s January 2010: KMB introduced the first two-axle, double-decker, low-floor air-conditioned bus, Enviro400 (ATSE1/PC4053), with Euro V environmentally-friendly engines. 15 May 2011: The Government approved fare increases for KMB and LWB by an average of 3.6% and 3.2% respectively. [33] 9 May 2012: With the conversion of the last four KMB routes (5A, 16, 93K, 98A) still served by non-air-conditioned buses to fully air-conditioned service, the last batch of non-air-conditioned buses in Hong Kong owned by KMB were retired, symbolising the provision of fully air-conditioned service on all KMB routes as well as all franchised bus routes in Hong Kong. 8 November 2012: KMB launched its official Facebook page, making it the second franchised bus operator in Hong Kong to do so. 16 December 2012: The Tuen Mun Road Interchange (southbound) was opened, where KMB provided "KMB Free WiFi" 15-minute free Wi-Fi service provided by PCCW. [36] The Interchange was also installed with KMB's first "Estimated Time of Arrival Enquiry System" display panels, which estimated the arrival time of buses at the Interchange through the Global Positioning System (GPS) devices installed on buses serving routes 60X, 61X, 259D, 260X and 263. 17 March 2013: The Government approved a 4.9% fare increase for KMB. 17 August 2013: The North District "Area Approach" Bus Route Reorganisation, the first Area Approach rationalisation for bus routes, was implemented in three stages. 4 December 2013: KMB set up an official YouTube channel, the third franchised bus operator in Hong Kong to do so. 10 June 2014: the Government approved a 3.9% fare increase by KMB. 23 December 2015: KMB set up an official Instagram account, the second franchised bus operator in Hong Kong to do so. 4 May 2017: KMB announced that it would be revamping its corporate image with the introduction of a number of Volvo B9TLs to replace its old buses. Instead of the champagne gold body paint that has been in use for two decades, the new car is now red with silver tips and three silver lines. The roof of the vehicle features two buildings with the words "Heartbeat of The City" in English and Chinese. The colour scheme of the KMB logo were different from the current one, and the seats will be brownish-white instead of the "Bus Boy" pattern. 6 July 2017: The last batch of non-low-floor double-decker air-conditioned buses were retired, and KMB entered a new era of providing low-floor bus services. 20 December 2017: All KMB buses using plastic destination plates were retired, and all KMB buses serving passengers have since been equipped with electronic route signs.

Governing Structure

Prior to joining the KMB, John Chan took the unprecedented step of joining the Government twice, from 1964 to 1978 and from 1980 to 1993, and was gradually promoted from Administrative Officer to Administrative Officer. He returned to the Government in 1980, first working in the Security Branch, then as Principal Assistant Secretary for the Civil Service and Deputy Director-General of Trade, Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service, Deputy Chief Secretary, Director of Information Services and Secretary for Trade and Industry, and so on. During this period, he was involved in the drafting of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and was appointed Secretary for Education and Manpower in 1991, Official Member of the Legislative Council in the same year, and then Member of the Executive Council in 1992, where he was once regarded as the favourite to become the first Chinese Chief Secretary. At one time, he was regarded as a popular candidate for the post of the first Chinese Chief Secretary. In 1993, when the Sino-British relationship was at its worst, he suddenly tendered his resignation on personal grounds. On 1 November of the same year, John Chan became the Chairman of Kowloon Motor Bus.

As soon as he took up his post, John Chan was already on a tour of duty, and his presence could be seen in the headquarters building of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (KMB), at the KMB depot, at bus stops, and even on buses. After taking off his official uniform, he immediately observed that KMB's business was too homogeneous, with franchised buses being the only business of the company. He proposed a corporate reorganisation to set up KMB Holdings as the flagship of the listed company, and then privatised KMB (1933) and injected it with other businesses, such as bus models, bus body advertising, RoadShow and non-franchised buses, to make the company's financial income more stable. In addition, the Long Win Bus (LWB), which connects with the Hong Kong International Airport and Tung Chung, is one of KMB's best achievements, and after 1997, KMB successfully explored the China market by setting up joint venture companies in Dalian and Tianjin to operate passenger transport business.

Prior to 1997, KMB's management system was similar to that of other traditional companies in Hong Kong, with a single general manager at the top and different departments below him. Decisions were made in a "centralised" manner, and the company was slow to respond to the market. This management structure was no longer able to cope with the changes of the times, so reform was inevitable.

After two years of hard work, the reorganisation of the entire internal management structure was completed in 1999. John Chan delegated authority to the four Regional Depot General Managers for the day-to-day operation of the bus fleet, and each department was given a clear understanding of its own responsibilities. In January of the same year, the reorganisation of the head office management structure was also completed, with different departments grouped under three divisions, namely Commercial, Finance and Administration, and Operations, each headed by a Director who was responsible for the functionally related divisions, with clear guidelines for the work of each division.

By the end of 1994, KMB's management had already had the idea of introducing quality management, with ISO as the first target, and in October 1995, the Engineering Department at Kowloon Bay Depot became the first pilot site to obtain ISO 9001 quality management certification, followed by the Traffic Department, all the depots, and in 2000, the entire company obtained either ISO 9001 or 9002 quality management certificates.

Company Organisation Chart

Company Structure of Kowloon Motor Bus
Managing Director 董事總經理				Internal Audit Dept 稽核部	Company Secretary 公司秘書
Deputy Managing Director 副董事總經理				Human Resources Dept 人力資源部
Five Main Directors	Operations Director 車務總監	Transport Development Director 運輸發展總監	Commercial Director 商務總監	Corporate Affairs Director 企業事務總監	Finance & Administration Director 財務及行政總監
Management Areas	Traffic Dept 交通部 Engineering Dept 工程部 Safety & Service Quality Dept 安全及服務質量部 Head of Depots 車廠總經理 Lai Chi Kok Depot Sha Tin Depot Kowloon Bay Depot Tuen Mun Depot	Commercial Deployment Dept 車務配置部 Planning & Development Dept 策劃及發展部	Commercial & Facilities Mgmt Dept 商務及資產管理部 Insurance Dept 保險部 Purchasing Dept 採購部 IT Dept 資訊科技部	Corporate Communications Dept 企業傳訊部 Customer Service Dept 顧客服務部 External Affairs Section 對外事務組	Office Administation Dept 辦公室行政部 Financial Planning & Costing Dept 財務策劃及成本會計部 Accounts Dept 財務會計部 Treasury Dept 財政部

Depot and Maintenance Centres

At present, KMB has four permanent depots to provide daily repair and maintenance services for the entire bus fleet, and ten smaller satellite depots to provide parking and minor maintenance services. The Tuen Mun Maintenance Centre provides large-scale comprehensive maintenance support for the fleet.

• Lai Chi Kok Depot: The emblem is L. It manages buses in Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing, Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong and part of Kowloon City.
• Kowloon Bay Depot: The emblem is K. It manages buses in Kowloon City District, Kowloon Bay, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O and Sai Kung Peninsula.
• Sha Tin Depot: The emblem is S. It manages buses in Shatin, Tai Po and North District, and the Bus Captain Training School is also located at Shatin Depot.
• Tuen Mun Depot: The emblem is U. It manages buses in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai.
• Tuen Mun Maintenance Centre

All KMB buses are subject to stringent ISO-certified scheduled maintenance arrangements, with daily, monthly, half-yearly and annual inspections carried out at the depot to ensure that the buses are roadworthy. Buses are inspected daily before picking up passengers, including the surface of the bus body, the cabin, the fare display, Octopus card readers and Autotoll sensors. When bus captains identify problems with their buses and report them to the Maintenance Section, maintenance staff will carry out repairs as soon as possible.

In addition, the maintenance staff are required to carry out maintenance and repair items on a regular and as-needed basis. They will also replace critical components regularly and install protective hoses for fuel pipes and electrical wires as necessary to minimise fire accidents.

Template:List of KMB depots

Bus Routes

Six Classic Routes

After more than 80 years of franchised bus service, among the nearly 400 bus routes, six routes stand out and are recognised by KMB as the "Six Classic Routes".

KMB's Six Classic Routes
Route No.	Current origin/termini	Classical origin
1	Chuk Yuen Estate ↔ Star Ferry ●	The earliest route to use double-decker buses
2	Cheung Sha Wan (So Uk Estate) ↔ Star Ferry ●	The first batch of Kowloon bus routes
6	Lai Chi Kok ↔ Star Ferry ●	The "King of Routes" during 1950-60s
64K	Yuen Long (West) ↔ Tai Po Market Station ●	The first route serving rural areas
68X	Hung Shui Kiu (Hung Fuk Estate) ↔ Mong Kok (Park Avenue) ●	Its predecessor was the Route 68 having the longest travelling distance and time
102	Shau Kei Wan ↔ Mei Foo ●	One of the first batch of cross-harbour bus routes

Categorisation Method

The main article of this section is KMB and LWB Route Categorisation Method#KMB.

Fleet

See also: List of KMB current fleet models and List of KMB retired fleet models

Current fleets

Information of KMB's current low-floor double-decker air-conditioned bus fleet (listed according to body length and year served)
Chassis model	Body	Fleet no.	Engine	Gearbox	Year served	Remark
Enviro400 10.5m	Alexander Dennis Enviro400	ATSE1	Cummins ISL8.9E5320B (Euro 5)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1403B8	2010
		ATSE2-51		Voith DIWA 864.5	2012
Volvo B9TL 10.6m	Wright Eclipse Gemini 2	AVBWS1	Volvo D9B-310 (Euro 5)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1403B	2011
VDL DB300 10.5m	MCV D102RLE-HK	AMC1	Cummins ISB6.7E5250B (Euro 5)	Voith DIWA 854.5	2014
E50D 11.3m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC Facelift	E6M1-125	Cummins L9E6C340B (Euro 6)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B	2020
		E6M126-151		Voith DIWA 864.6	2023
Enviro500 12m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Mk II	ATE233-242, 244-252, 256-266, 268-271	Cummins ISMe-335 (Euro 3)	Voith DIWA 864.5	2006
Volvo B9TL 12m	Transbus Enviro500 Mk I	AVBE1	Volvo D9A-300 (Euro 3)	ZF Ecomat 2 6HP592C	2005
	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Mk II	AVBE2-15, 17, 19-21, 23, 25, 52-66			2006
		AVBE16, 18, 22, 24, 26-51, 67-86		Voith DIWA 864.5	2007
	Wright Eclipse Gemini	AVBW1-14, 16-28, 30-34, 36-50, 52-64		ZF Ecomat 2 6HP592C	2005
		AVBW15	Volvo D9A-340 (Euro 3)	Voith DIWA 864.5	2006
Enviro500 12m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Mk II	Before fleet number change: ATE257 After fleet number change: ATEU1	Before revamp: Cummins ISLe-340B (Euro 4) After revamp: Cummins ISL8.9E5340B (Euro 5)
		ATEU11-16, 37-63	Cummins ISLe-340B (Euro 4)	ZF Ecomat 4 6HP604C	2009
		ATEU17-36		Voith DIWA 864.5	2010
Scania K310UD 12m	Salvador Caetano City Gold CD200	ASU3-22	Scania DC9-18-310 (Euro 4)	ZF Ecomat 2 6HP602CN	2007
Volvo B9TL 12m	Wright Eclipse Gemini 2	AVBWU1-5, 8-11, 16-383, 385-423	Volvo D9B-310 (Euro 5)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1403B	2010
		AVBWU424-797		Voith DIWA 864.5	2015
	Gemilang	AVG1-3			2018
Enviro500 12m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Mk II	ATEE1-41	Cummins ISL8.9E5340B (Euro 5)	ZF Ecomat 4 6HP604C	2011
E50D 12m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC	ATENU1-52, 54-128, 130-273, 275-279, 281-340, 342-473, 498, 567-570, 574, 576-580, 582, 584-616, 618-638, 640-676, 678-681, 685, 777, 779-786, 788-802, 840		ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B	2013
		ATENU1653-1699
		E5T1-26			2015
		ATENU474-497, 499-566, 571-573, 575, 581, 583, 617, 639, 677, 682-684, 686-776, 778, 787		Voith DIWA 864.5
	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC Facelift	ATENU803-839, 841-876, 893, 925-968, 973, 974, 984, 1034-1040, 1042-1097, 1147, 1149-1188, 1239, 1282-1318, 1320-1345, 1347-1424, 1426, 1506-1533, 1547, 1561, 1605-1622, 1624, 1625, 1627-1650		ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B
		ATENU877-892, 894-924, 969-972, 975-983, 985-1033, 1041, 1098-1146, 1148, 1189-1238, 1240-1281, 1319, 1346, 1425, 1427-1505, 1534-1546, 1548-1560, 1562-1604, 1623, 1626, 1652		Voith DIWA 864.5	2016
		TW1→ATENU1651		ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B	2018
	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC	E6T1	Cummins ISL9E6330B (Euro 6)
		E6T2		Voith DIWA 864.6
E50H 12m		ATH1-3	Cummins ISB6.7E6280B (Euro 6)	No gearbox	2014
Scania K280UD 12m	Salvador Caetano City Gold CB200	ASUD1, 2	Scania DC9-29-280 (Euro 5 EEV)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1400	2015
MAN A95 12m	Gemilang Lion's City DD	AMNE1	MAN D2066 LUH-33 (Euro 5)	ZF EcoLife 6AP2000B
		AMNF1-20	MAN D2066 LUH-32 (Euro 5)		2016
	Gemilang	AMNF21			2018
Volvo B8L 12m	Wright Eclipse Gemini 2	AVBWL1	Volvo D8K-350 (Euro 6)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1600BS	2017
	MCV EvoSeti	AVBML1, 2			2019
	Wright Eclipse Gemini 3	V6B1-200
		V6P1-10			2021
BYD B12D 12m	BYD	BED1-42	BYD EQ13B	No gearbox	2023
E5E 12m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500EV	AED1-2	Voith VEDS HD		2024
Volvo B9TL 12.8m	Wright Eclipse Gemini 2	3AVBWU1, 2	Volvo D9B-310 (Euro 5)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1403B	2014
E50D 12.8m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC	3ATENU1, 2, 4, 12-15, 17, 18, 20-22	Cummins ISL8.9E5340B (Euro 5)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B
		3ATENU3, 5-11, 16, 19		Voith DIWA 864.5	2015
	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC Facelift	3ATENU23-32, 48-95, 97, 99-101, 103, 104			2016
		3ATENU33-47, 96, 98, 102, 105-151		ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B
		3ATENUW1→3ATENU152		Voith DIWA 864.5
		3ATENU153-187		ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B	2018
		3ATENU188-222		Voith DIWA 864.5
		E6X1-112, 114-296	Cummins L9E6C340B (Euro 6)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B	2019
Volvo B8L 12.8m	MCV EvoSeti	V6X1-110, 112-145, 147, 148, 153-161, 183	Volvo D8K-350 (Euro 6)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1600BS	2020
	Wright Eclipse Gemini 3	V6X111, 146, 149-152, 162-182			2022
		V6PX1
MAN A95 12.8m	Gemilang Lion’s City DD Facelift	M6EX1	MAN D2066 LUH-52 (Euro 6)	ZF EcoLife 6AP2000B
		M6FX1-6	MAN D2066 LUH-51 (Euro 6)

Information of KMB's current low-floor single-decker air-conditioned bus fleet
Chassis model	Body	Fleet no.	Engine	Gearbox	Year served	Remark
Scania K230UB 10.6m	Salvador Caetano City Gold CB510.5	ASB1-20	Scania DC9-16-230 （Euro 4）	ZF Ecomat 2 6HP504C	2009
Scania K230UB 12m	Salvador Caetano City Gold CB512	ASC1-10, 15-29
		ASCU1	Scania DC9-30-230 (Euro 5 EEV)		2010
Volvo B7RLE 12m	MCV Evolution C123RLE	AVC4, 8, 9, 11-12, 39-70	Volvo D7E290-EC06B （Euro 5）	ZF EcoLife 6AP1203B
		AVC2	Volvo D7E290-EC06 (Euro 4)	ZF Ecomat 4 6HP554C
Enviro200 Dart 10.4m	Alexander Dennis Enviro200	AAU1-30	Cummins ISBe6.7EV225B (Euro 5 EEV)	Voith DIWA 854.5	2011
		AAS1-11			2013
Young Man JNP6122UC 12m	Young Man Centro-Liner Series	AYM1-8	Unknown	No gearbox	2015
BYD K9R 12m	Gemilang	BDE1-10	BYD TYC90A	BYD-2912TZ-XY-A	2017
BYD B12A 12m	BYD	BEB1-16	BYD	BYD	2022

Retired or returned fleets

Retired air-conditioned buses

Information of KMB's retired single-decker air-conditioned bus fleet
Model	Body	Fleet No.	Engine	Gearbox	Year retired	Remark
Dennis Dart 9m	Duple Dartline	AA1, 2	Cummins 6BT5.9	Allison AT545	2008
Dennis Dart 10m	Duple Metsec	AA3-42			2009-2013
Dennis Dart 10.1m	Northern Counties Palatin	AA43-48	Cummins B5.9-14511 (Euro 1)		1997, 2014
Dennis Dart SLF 10.1m	Plaxton Pointer	AA49-60			2014, 2015
Dennis Dart SLF 10.7m	Plaxton Pointer 2	AA61-70	Cummins B5.9-14520 (Euro 2)		2014-2016
Dennis Lance 11.7m	Walter Alexander PS	AN1-24	Cummins 6CT	ZF Ecomat 4HP500	1999, 2010
Dennis Falcon	Duple Metsec	AF1-19	Gardner 6HLXCT	Voith DIWA 851	1999-2001
		FD7			1989
Leyland Albion	Duple Dominant	CA1-66, 68-77, 79-102	Leyland EO.401	Leyland GB281	1983-1990
MCW Metrorider	MCW	AMR1, 2	Cummins 6BT	Allison AT545	1993
Toyota Coaster	Arakawa Auto	AT1-91	Toyota 2H	Toyota manual	1992-1994, 1996, 1997
Mitsubishi MK 9.2m	Mitsubishi MK117J	AM1-168	Mitsubishi 6D16-OA	Allison AT545	1995, 2001-2005, 2007-2012
	Mitsubishi MK217J	AM169-183	Mitsubishi 6D22-1A (Euro 1)
	Mitsubishi MK218J	AM184
Mitsubishi MP618	Mitsubishi Aero Star	AP1	Mitsubishi 6D22-1A	Allison MTB647	1994
Hino RK176K	POC	AH1-25	Hino H107C	Hino	1993
BYD K9A 12m	BYD	BE1	BYD-TYC90A	Unknown	2013
Yutong ZK6128HG1 12m	Yutong	AYT1	Cummins ISL8.9E5320B (Euro 5)	Voith DIWA 864.5	2016

Information of KMB's retired double-decker air-conditioned bus fleet
Model	Body	Fleet No.	Engine	Gearbox	Year retired	Remark
Dennis Dragon 9.9m	Duple MetSec	ADS1-30	Cummins LT10-B245	Voith DIWA 863	2011
		ADS31-185	Cummins LT10-B252 (Euro 1)		2009, 2013-2015
		ADS186-235	Cummins M11-235E (Euro 2)	Voith DIWA 863.3	2017
Dennis Dragon 11m		AD1	Cummins LT10-B245	ZF Ecomat 4HP590	2007
		AD2-52, 54, 55, 57-130		Voith DIWA 863	1996, 2006, 2008-2011
		AD53, 56, 131-360	Cummins LT10-B252 (Euro 1)		2009, 2010, 2013-2015
Dennis Dragon 12m		3AD1-170	Cummins M11-250E (Euro 2)	Voith DIWA 863.3	2009-2016
Leyland Olympian 11m	Walter Alexander RH	AL1-150	Cummins LT10-B245	ZF Ecomat 4HP500	2005-2011
Volvo Olympian 11m		AV1, 87-111	Volvo TD102KF (Euro 1)		2011-2013
		AV2-86	Cummins LT10-B252 (Euro 1)		2012, 2013
		AV112-129, 131-185, 187-231	Volvo TD102KF (Euro 1)	Voith DIWA 863.3	2006, 2014, 2015
		AV130, 186, 232-531	Volvo D10A-245 (Euro 2)		2014-2016
Volvo Olympian 12m		3AV1-50	Cummins LT10-B252 (Euro 1)	ZF Ecomat 4HP500	2012
		3AV51-137, 139-164, 166-170	Volvo TD102KF (Euro 1)	Voith DIWA 863.3	2013-2015
		3AV138	Before revamp: Volvo TD102KF (Euro 1) After revamp: Volvo D10A-245 (Euro 2)	Before revamp: Voith DIWA 863.3 After revamp: ZF Ecomat 4HP500	2014
		3AV165		Voith DIWA 863.3
		3AV171-348	Volvo D10A-245 (Euro 2)	ZF Ecomat 4HP500	2011, 2015
Scania N113 11.5m		AS1, 2	Scania DS11-74 (Euro 1)	Voith DIWA 863	2010, 2011
		AS3-22	Scania DS11-24 (Euro 2)	Voith DIWA 863.3	2014

Information of KMB's retired double-decker super low-floor air-conditioned bus fleet
Model	Body	Fleet No.	Engine	Gearbox	Year retired	Remark
Dennis Trident 10.6m	Duple MetSec DM5000	ATS1-50	Cummins M11-305E (Euro 2)	Voith DIWA 863.3	2008, 2017
	Transbus Alexander ALX500	ATS51-95, 98-100		Voith DIWA 864.3E	2018-2020
		ATS96, 97, 101-140	Cummins ISMe-335 (Euro 3)		2019, 2020
		ATS141-150		ZF Ecomat 2 5HP602C	2020
Dennis Trident 12m	Walter Alexander ALX500	ATR1, 4-16, 18, 19, 21-44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53, 55-58, 60, 76-78, 80-84, 86, 88-91, 94, 96, 98-100, 102-106, 108, 112-123, 125, 132-138, 164-166, 168-173, 175-185, 300-303, 305-354	Cummins M11-305E (Euro 2)	Voith DIWA 863.3	2002, 2015-2020
		ATR17, 20		Before revamp: Voith DIWA 863.3 After revamp: Voith DIWA 864.3	2016
		ATR101, 355-368, 393-495		ZF Ecomat 5HP590	2008, 2015-2017
	Duple MetSec DM5000	ATR2, 3, 45, 48, 51, 54, 59, 61-75, 79, 85, 87, 92, 93, 95, 97, 107, 109-111, 124, 126-131, 139-163, 167, 174, 186-188		Voith DIWA 863.3	2008, 2016, 2017
		ATR189-268		ZF Ecomat 5HP590	2008, 2017, 2018
		ATR269-298		Voith DIWA 864.3	2017, 2018
	Transbus Alexander ALX500	ATR299-342	Cummins ISMe-335 (Euro 3)	Voith DIWA 864.3E	2019
Enviro500 12m	Transbus Enviro500 Mk I	ATE1-12, 15, 20, 22, 36, 38, 39, 42-44, 46, 48, 49, 55, 60, 62-65, 67-89, 104, 106, 112-119, 121, 124			2018, 2021
		ATE13, 14, 16-19, 21, 23-35, 37, 40, 41, 45, 47, 50-54, 56-59, 61, 66, 92, 94, 100-103, 105, 108-111, 115, 120-144, 146-164, 167, 169, 171-215		ZF Ecomat 2 5HP602C	2008, 2020, 2021
		ATE145, 165, 166, 168, 170, 216-232		Voith DIWA 864.5	2021-2023
	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Mk II	ATE233, 243, 251, 253-255, 267			2022
Volvo B10TL 12m	Walter Alexander ALX500	3ASV1-140	Volvo D10A-285 (Euro 2)	ZF Ecomat 4HP590	2008, 2016-2019
		3ASV141-402, 404-432, 437-440, 443-446, 448-450, 452, 455, 457, 458, 460, 461, 463-465, 469, 473, 475-492	Volvo D10A-285， EM-EC01 (Euro 3)	ZF Ecomat 5HP590	2008, 2011, 2012, 2017-2020
	Volgren CR223LD	3ASV403, 433-436, 441, 442, 447, 451, 453, 454, 456, 459, 462, 466-468, 470-472, 474			2018-2020
	Wright Explorer	AVW1-100			2008, 2018, 2021-2023
Volvo B9TL 12m	Volgren CR223LD	AVD1	Before revamp: Volvo D9A-300 (Euro 3) After revamp: Volvo D9B-310 (Euro 4)	ZF Ecomat 2 6HP592C	2021
	Wright Eclipse Gemini	AVBW29, 35, 51	Volvo D9A-300 (Euro 3)	ZF Ecomat 2 6HP592C	2009, 2021
	Wright Eclipse Gemini 2	AVBWU384	Volvo D9A-310 (Euro 5)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1403B	2019
Scania K310UD 12m	Salvador Caetano City Gold CD200	ASU1, 2	Scania DC9-18-310 (Euro 4)	ZF Ecomat 2 6HP602CN	2012
Neoplan 12m	Neoplan N4026/3 Centroliner	AP1-80	Cummins M11-305E21 (Euro 2)	ZF Ecomat 5HP590	2003, 2016-2018
	Neoplan N4426/3 Centroliner	AP81-130			2017, 2018
		AP131, 133-136, 145, 146, 148, 152, 153, 160	MAN D2866 LOH-27 (Euro 3)	Voith DIWA 864.3E
		AP132, 137-144, 147, 149-151, 154-159, 161, 162		ZF Ecomat 2 5HP602C
MAN 24.310 12m	Berkhof	AMN1-30	MAN D2866 LOH-25 (Euro 2)	ZF Ecomat 5HP590
	Volgren CR223LD	AMN33-35			2018
		AMN31, 32, 36-47	MAN D2866 LOH-27 (Euro 3)		2017, 2018
Volvo B10TL 10.6m	Walter Alexander ALX500	ASV1-49	Volvo D10A-285 (Euro 2)		2018, 2019
		ASV50		ZF Ecomat 4HP590	2020
		ASV51-100	Volvo D10A-285， EM-EC01 (Euro 3)	ZF Ecomat 5HP590	2021-2023
Neoman A34 12m	Neoplan N4426/3 Centroliner	APM1	MAN D2866 LUH-24 (Euro 3)	Voith DIWA 864.3E	2019
E50D 12m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC	ATENU53, 129, 274, 280, 341	Cummins ISL8.9E5340B (Euro 5)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B	2018-2020
E50D 12.8m	Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC Facelift	E6X113	Cummins L9E6C340B (Euro 6)	ZF EcoLife 6AP1700B	2023
StreetDeck 10.7m	Wright Gemini 3	W6S1	Mercedes-Benz OM936LA (Euro 6)	Voith DIWA 854.6	2020

Retired non-air-conditioned buses

Information of KMB's retired single-decker non-air-conditioned bus fleet
Model	Body	Fleet No.	Engine	Gearbox	Year retired	Remark
Dennis Pax	Sparshatts	HK4090-4119	P.P6	Voith DIWA 851	1965, 1968, 1969
Leyland Lion PLSCI	Vickers	-	Leyland	-	1930
Leyland Albion	BACO	L1-312	* Leyland EO.350 * Leyland EO.370 * Leyland EO.401	* Leyland * Leyland GB271 * Leyland GB277	1971, 1982-1990
	Metal Sections
	UABB

Information of KMB's retired double-decker non-air-conditioned bus fleet
Model	Body	Fleet No.	Engine	Gearbox	Year retired	Remark
Dennis Jubilant	BACO	N1-4	Gardner 6LXB	Voith DIWA 851	1988, 1994, 1995
	Walter Alexander KB	N5-213, 364			1997-1999
	Duple MetSec	N214-363			1996, 1998-2000
Dennis Dominator		DM1-40			2000, 2001
	East Lancs	-	DAF		1991
Dennis Dragon 11m	Duple MetSec	S3N1-221	* Gardner 6LXC * Cummins LT10-B245	* Voith DIWA 851 * Voith DIWA 851.2	1994, 1999, 2002-2005
		S3N222-370	* Cummins LT10-B245 * Cummins LT10-B252 (Euro 1)	* Voith DIWA 863 * ZF Ecomat 4HP500	2007, 2008, 2010-2012
Dennis Dragon 12m	Walter Alexander RH	3N1-3	Gardner 6LXCT	Voith DIWA 851	1999, 2002
	Duple MetSec	3N4-191			1998, 2000-2005, 2008-2011, 2013
Daimler CVG5 (Daimler A-B)	Metal Sections	4958-D150	Gardner 5LW Gardner 6LW	Wilson	1969, 1970, 1972-1974, 1976-1982
		D151-260	Gardner 5LW		1972-1974, 1976-1983
Daimler CVG6 (Daimler C-F) (Second-hand bus)	* Metal Sections * BACO	D261-330	Gardner 6LW		1982-1987
	Metal Sections	D331-350	Gardner 6LX	Daimatic	1984-1988
		D351-550			1986-1991
		D551-665			1984, 1986-1988
	* Weymann * KMB	2D1-3	* Gardner 6LW * Gardner 6LX	Wilson	1976, 1984
	Metal Sections	2D4-7			1982, 1983
Daimler/Leyland Fleetline		D666-814, 816-887, 889-930, 932-962, 965-967, 1007, 1029	Gardner 6LXB	SCG 4-speed	1980-1995
	BACO	D815, 963, 964, 968-1006, 1008-1028, 1030-1115			1987-1995
	KMB	D888, 931			1990, 1991
Daimler Fleetline DMS	Park Royal	2D8-11, 13-16, 20-23, 26, 27, 30, 37, 39, 43, 46, 47, 49-51, 53-55, 59, 64, 65, 70-77, 79, 80, 82, 87, 91, 92, 97, 98, 101, 103-105, 107	Leyland O.680	Daimatic	1981-1993
	MCW	2D12, 17-19, 28, 29, 31-36, 38, 40-42, 44, 45, 48, 52, 56-58, 60-63, 66-69, 78, 81, 83-86, 88-90, 93-96, 99, 100, 102, 106			1984-1990
Leyland Victory J	BUSAF	G1-4	Gardner 6LX	Leyland	1982
Leyland Victory II	Walter Alexander KB	G5-544	Gardner 6LXB	Voith DIWA 851	1982-1998
Leyland Titan	MCCW	2L1-8	* Gardner 6LW * Gardner 6LX	Leyland	1975, 1976, 1981
Leyland Atlantean (PDR1/1)	Different bodies	2L9-79	* Leyland O.600 * Gardner 6LX	* Leyland SCG * Leyland	1974-1979
Leyland Olympian (9.5/10.3m)	ECW	BL1-3	Gardner 6LXB	Voith DIWA 851	1999
	Walter Alexander RH	BL4-123			1998-2004
Leyland Olympian 11m		S3BL1-173, 175-470	* Gardner 6LXCT * Cummins LT10-B245	* Voith DIWA 863 * Voith DIWA 851.2 * ZF Ecomat 4HP500	1992, 1994, 2002-2013
	Guangzhou Suijing Body	S3BL174	Gardner 6LXCT	Voith DIWA 851.2	2001
Leyland Olympian 12m	ECW	3BL1		Voith DIWA 851	1997
	Walter Alexander RH	3BL2-162			2000-2003, 2006, 2008, 2013
MCW Metrobus 9.7m	MCW Apollo Mk2	M1-88	* Gardner 6LXB * Gardner 6LXDT * Cummins LT10-B282	* Voith DIWA 851 * Voith DIWA 851.2 * Voith DIWA 864G	1996, 1997, 2000-2003
MCW Metrobus 11m		S3M1-254	* Gardner 6LXCT * Cummins LT10-B245 * Cummins LT10-B282	* Voith DIWA 851 * Voith DIWA 863 * Voith DIWA 851.2 * Voith DIWA 864G	2002-2007
MCW Metrobus 12m		3M1-3	Gardner 6LXCT	Voith DIWA 851	2001
AEC Regent V	BACO	A1-30	AEC	AEC AV690	1984, 1985
	Metal Sections	A31-210			1984-1987
		2A1-28	SCG GB340	Gardner 6LX	1977, 1978, 1980-1983
Volvo B10MD	Walter Alexander RV	VMD1	Volvo THD100EC	Voith DIWA 851	1988
Volvo Olympian 11m	Walter Alexande RH	S3V1-30	Cummins LT10-B252 (Euro 1)	ZF Ecomat 4HP500	2011, 2012
Mercedes-Benz		ME1-41	Mercedes-Benz OM407h	Mercedes-Benz W3D-080/R	2001, 2002

Training Bus fleets

The KMB Bus Captain Training School operates a number of training buses to provide comprehensive driver training for its bus captains. For details of the bus fleets, please refer to the list of KMB Training Bus fleets.

Antique Buses

KMB currently retains 13 retired buses. In the past, retired buses often appeared in public functions.

List pf KMB's Antique Bus fleet
Photo	Model	Plate No.	Fleet No.	Year entered service	Year retired	First date appeared to public as an antique bus	Remark
	Daimler A	4961	D26	12 April 1949	January 1980	1983	Hong Kong's first batch of double-decker bus
	Daimler A	4212	D11	1954	1982	20 May 2023	Hong Kong's first double-decker bus
	AEC Regent V	AD4807	A19	6 May 1963	1987	1987
	Daimler E	AD7336	D430	1 February 1972	1990	1 March 2012	KMB's last franchised bus with half-driving cab design
	Albion EVK55CL	BM248	L308	15 November 1976	1992	1993	KMB's last non-air-conditioned single-decker franchised bus
	Dennis Dragon 12m (Non-air-conditioned)	DC1148	3N24	7 June 1984	1998 (Passenger fleet) 15 May 2013 (Training bus)	13 April 2013
	Leyland Olympian 11m (Air-conditioned)	DX2437	AL1	12 May 1988	20 August 2005	3 December 2006	World's first mass-production double-decker air-conditioned bus
	Dennis Dragon 11m (Non-air-conditioned)	GD605	S3N370	25 August 1994	8 May 2012	18 December 2015	The last two types of non-air-conditioned bus in Hong Kong
	Volvo Olympian 11m (Non-air-conditioned)	GL258	S3V26	26 May 1995	9 May 2012	18 December 2015
	Dennis Dragon9.9m	GV1553	ADS143	26 June 1996	25 June 2014	18 December 2015	The last franchised bus with 3+2 seating arrangement
	Dennis Trident 12m	HJ2127	ATR1	22 September 1997	21 September 2015	18 December 2015	World's first double-decker super low-floor bus
	Dennis Dragon 9.9m	JD4215	ADS235	12 July 1999	6 July 2017	9 July 2023	KMB's last non-low-floor bus
	Volvo Super Olympian 10.6m	LV8402	ASV100	9 March 2005	8 March 2023	22 April 2023	KMB's last bus equipped with horizontal seats and perioscopes

In December 2015, KMB arranged for nine of its classic buses (except D11, JD4215 and LV8402 in the above table) to meet the media at a press conference held at Sha Tin Depot, and announced its decision to put its classic buses to work in community activities. The following year, KMB organised a number of public events to bring these retired buses back to the glorious past with all Hong Kong people, and to revive the memories of those buses that accompanied them as they grew up.

Public Activities

• KMB Bus Captain of the Year Competition Finals
• KMB 80th Anniversary
• Getting Around with KMB, Yesterday and Today
• KMB B-day@83
• KMB Carnival
• Retrospective Carnival with KMB
• Happy Father's Day@KMB
• KMB Pop-up Store & Gallery
• YM² Summer Green Tour
• KMB 90th Anniversary Carnival
• KMB Recruitment Day
• KMB Green Journey

Major Events

• Last service day of KMB non-air-conditioned buses
• Last service day of KMB non-low-floor bus
• 18 February 2019: At 3:50 a.m., KMB and LWB had a shift system failure and had to switch to the emergency standby manpower shift measure, resulting in insufficient bus services to cope with passenger demand during the morning peak hours, with about 1,000 people waiting for buses at the Tuen Mun Road Interchange at the peak period. The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan, expressed grave concern and TD would make an appointment to meet with KMB. KMB replied to the media at 10:41 p.m. that the system was back to normal.

Serious Accidents

• 2003 KMB Route 265M Bus Falling Accident
• 2003 Bus Overturning Accident on West Kowloon Highway
• 2006 KMB Bus Accident on Waterloo Road
• 2007 KMB Bus Crash on Tsing Long Highway
• 2009 Tseung Kwan O Bus Overturning Accident
• 2015 Tai Chung Kiu Road 5-car accident
• Shattered glass panes of bus door incidents in 2016
• 2018 KMB Route 872 Bus Overturning Accident
• 2019 KMB Bus Accident on Fanling Highway
• 2021 Bus Overturning Accident at Tai Wai
• 2023 KMB Bus Tilting Accident on Ching Cheung Road

Related Articles

KMB Boy Friends of KMB KMB Today KMB Bus Guide B.A.T. Hotline KMB Monthly Pass Five Route Day Pass KMB Fare Saver KMB Customer Service Centre KMB & LW Smartphone App KMB Free WiFi Design 1933

Transport International Long Win Bus Sun Bus Airbus Green Bus Heartbeat of The City KMB Bus Captain Training School KMB Technical Training School KMB Tuen Mun Bus Body Construction Depot Used and Retired Bus Programme

RoadShow Tong Mi Road (Lui Seng Chun) KMB Speed Limit Card KMB X LWB Fun Redemption club1933

Notes and References

External Links

• The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited's website
• KMB's Facebook page
• KMB's Instagram page
• KMB;s Youtube channel
• Kowloon Motor Bus Operations Review 1995, Panel on Transport, Legislative Council, February 1996
• Directors' profiles and Senior Executives, The Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings Limited 2002 Annual Report

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To facilitate quoting and enquiries, the following redirect page(s) will direct to this page:

The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited, KMB, Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings, KMB Holdings, KMB's 4 Main Depots, KMB's Four Main Depots, KMB's 4 Depots and KMB's Four Depots