The Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa is a medium and light bus model manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Co. Ltd. of Japan, is currently available in three models for the Hong Kong market.
In the 1980s, public light bus operators started to introduce air-conditioned minibuses, including the Mitsubishi Rosa, which was a popular model in Hong Kong during the 1980s and 1990s. Later on, the PLB market was almost completely dominated by the Toyota Coaster, and the Mitsubishi Rosa became the "minority" of the 4,350 PLBs in Hong Kong, while it was also used by some tour buses, school buses, nanny vans, and Hong Kong government departments.
At present, Mitsubishi Rosa minibuses are mainly used by AMS Public Transport (Poly Winner Trading used to be the only Mitsubishi Rosa-only green minibus operator, but it has been replaced by Toyota Coaster; Chit Fai Motors, which has already closed down, had a fleet of Mitsubishi Rosa that accounted for nearly 80% of its fleet before it closed down). The Mitsubishi Rosa has not been used by red minibus operators since 2010, and will not be available until 2020, when Chit Fai Motors closed down and converted its Mitsubishi Rosa into a red minibus.
The Mitsubishi Rosa is also available in a dual-door version, which was created at the request of Transmac - Transportes Urbanos de Macau (Transmac), and is currently only used by Transmac and Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos de Macau (TCM).
Design[]
The 1983-1985 licensed Mitsubishi Rosa had a rounded body with steel windows. The first Mitsubishi Rosa's were built with the emergency door on the right rear seat, and the last row of seats at the rear had seating for four, but the 1984 batch was moved to the centre of the rear, and the 1985 bodywork was modified to include a slightly modified ghost mask, a more angular body design that moved away from the earlier rounded style, and a single seat at the rear on the left and right sides of the car.
In 1987, the bodywork was changed to a pointed design, with the doors located to the left of the rear, and 2+1 seating at the rear, to bring the car in line with the Toyota Coaster. As for the radiator grilles, in the early years, the distance between the two sets of headlamps was relatively close to each other, and they were divided into three types, namely four round lamps, four square lamps and quartz lamps, and some of them were equipped with side directional lamps; in 1990, on the basis of the original design, the two sets of headlamps were shifted to the nearer position of the body, and the side directional lamps were included in the basic equipment. In 1990, the two sets of headlamps were moved to the near-body position and the side directional lamps were also incorporated into the basic equipment. The first batch of minibuses licensed in this batch had plate numbers starting with "DP".
In the early days, this model was fitted with 14 seats. On 23 February 1988, the Government increased the maximum seating capacity of the minibus to 16 seats, and the number of seats on the Rosa was increased to 16 seats on the same day.
In 1997, the bus was redesigned to the previous generation's specifications, with a significantly shorter distance between the axle and the doors, and the use of four round lamps with ghost masks, the abandonment of metal window frames, and two single seats at the rear of the 6.255 metre standard array to provide a wider emergency exit space at the rear of the bus (although some buses have maintained the 2+1 seating capacity at the rear of the bus and added luggage racks behind the doors). [1] The rear lights were changed to four round lights to differentiate between previous generations, and in 1999 a 7.725 m 30-seat extra-long version (J-Arm) was developed based on the 6.255 m standard (E-Arm) and 6.99 m long (G-Arm) arrays, which led to the Toyota Coaster being modelled on this model.
In 2007, the BE63D/BE64D models were introduced, with a revised headlamp, a quartz radiator grille, a slightly enlarged headliner, and an upgraded Euro IV engine (model 4M50).
In 2012, the BE641 was introduced, with a redesigned recess below the front windscreen. The doors at the rear of some of the vehicles have been changed from left to centre, and the number of seats in the last row has been increased from three to four in the 2+2 seating configuration, giving a typical capacity of 30 passengers, with all seats facing forward, in line with the school bus specification. The roof is also equipped with a circular ventilation fan (as was the case on earlier models with long, sealed windows from the third generation onwards). The engine was again upgraded to a Euro 5 engine (type 4P10), and a new DUONIC dual-clutch gearbox was supplied in place of the conventional automatic transmission. Compared to its predecessor, the engine is quieter and the car starts faster with an automatic transmission.
In 2020, Mitsubishi Motors Japan officially launched the BE7 series, which complies with the Euro 6 emission standard, and two prototype cars were officially introduced to Hong Kong by the agent two years later [2][3].
Historical Mitsubishi Rosa Public Light Buses (PLBs)[]
Like the Toyota Coaster, the Mitsubishi Rosa, licensed from 1983 to 1985, had a significantly smaller destination display, which was enlarged for easier reading when the body was modified in 1985.
The minibus was fitted with 14 seats in the early days, and the maximum seating capacity of minibuses was increased to 16 seats on 23 February 1988 by the government.
AMS Public Transport purchased the Mitsubishi Rosa in three batches from 2005 onwards, the first two batches were BE639G, powered by Euro III engines, and the last batch was BE63DG, powered by Euro IV engines.
The first batch of Rosa was licensed in 2005-2006, equipped with rollsigns, and was mainly assigned to route 403 and 481 via Shing Mun Tunnels when it came into service. They were fully retired in 2018 in response to the Government's subsidy scheme for the replacement of Euro III diesel commercial vehicles.
The next batch of Rosa was licensed in 2007, with the location plates changed to Lyodstech electronic destination signs (EDSs). 12 of them were designed in white for use on Cyberport Routes 69 and 69X. 12 of them, including MF77, MS7558, MS7890 and MT5073, were equipped with automatic transmission, while 4 of them, including MF77 and MS7558, were equipped with sliding doors. All of them have been retired in early 2023 as a result of the Government's subsidised replacement of Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles.
The last batch of Rosa was licensed in 2007-2008, the location plates continue to use Lyodstech electric plates, and some of them have been retrofitted with roof insulation panels. Five of the Rosa's (NK8042, NK8978, NN3070, NN5372 and NN6005) were designed in white, with automatic gearboxes and sliding doors, for use on Cyberport Routes 69 and 69X. They were retired in 2016-2017 after less than 10 years of service due to the frequent charring procedure of the Euro IV engines and the high maintenance cost. (Note: the minibus replacement is not eligible for funding from the Environmental Protection Department)
After the licensing of the Euro IV Rosa, Hong Kong did not have any new Mitsubishi Rosa PLBs for a long time until 2016, when Chit Fai Motors purchased a new batch of Rosa. This batch of Rosa, model BE641G, is powered by a Euro V engine and has switched to use the EDS from Taiwan's Lucky Yu Industrial. Subsequently, Fine Luck and Holy Gain acquired the same model of Mitsubishi Rosa, while Wai Ching Industrial introduced one first-hand and four second-hand Mitsubishi Rosa.
All Mitsubishi Rosa PLBs are now of the "Long Format" specification, meaning that they are all eligible for the 19-seat capacity. The first 19-seat Mitsubishi Rosa in Hong Kong was then owned by Chit Fai Motors, AY3318, which was licensed on 12 December 2017 (it was also the only Mitsubishi Rosa in Hong Kong with a wide-EDS box).
Bus fleets[]
New Lantao Bus (NLB)[]
The Mitsubishi Rosa of New Lantao Bus (NLB) fleet are all second-hand vehicles of its parent company, Kwoon Chung Bus.
The first batch of 4 Mitsubishi Rosa (MS1-4), licensed between 1990 and 1991, joined NLB in 1997 and were used to operate the then operating route 34. There was a sign box above the front windscreen, but no rollsign was installed, and only a plastic route sign with the route number and the origin/destination information was inserted at the front of the bus, while there was no route display on the side and rear of the bus. This batch of Mitsubishi Rosa was decommissioned in 2001 and replaced by a second batch of three 1996 Mitsubishi Rosa (MS5-7) added to NLB.
The second batch of 1996 Mitsubishi Rosa (MS5-7) was similar to the first batch except that it did not have a route sign box above the front windscreen. As for the route display, it was also only a plastic plate with the route number and the information of the starting and ending points at the front of the vehicle, and there was no route display on the sides and rear of the vehicle. The second batch of Mitsubishi Rosa was retired in 2005 and replaced by the third batch of three 2001 Mitsubishi Rosa (MS8-10).
The third batch (licensed in 2001) of Mitsubishi Rosa (MS8-10) has a passenger capacity of 5 more than the previous two batches (29 passengers in total) and is equipped with electric sliding doors. The vehicles were not fitted with route signs at the beginning of the batch, only route numbers and information on the starting and finishing points were inserted on the front of the vehicles, and electric plates (one on the front, one on the side and one on the rear) were added at a later stage (no later than 2009). The 3rd batch of Mitsubishi Rosa was decommissioned in 2012-2013 and replaced by the 4th batch of 2 2009 Mitsubishi Rosa (MS11-12) added to NLB.
The appearance of the 4th batch of Mitsubishi Rosa (MS11-16) is similar to that of the 3rd batch, except for MS13 and MS16 which have electric external sliding doors, while the other 4 are equipped with electric internal folding doors. MS11 and MS12 were added in 2012, while MS13-16 were re-introduced by Lantau Bus in September 2015 due to the need to operate 37H, among which MS13 (RY4232) is equipped with centre-mounted paxial door with 30mm. The MS13 (RY4232) is a 30-seat version with a centre-mounted emergency door and an automatic transmission, while the beam barrier is retained, making it the first in NLB's fleet of the same type.
The buses were fitted with Amplus electronic route displays when they were transferred to Lantau Bus (some of the four that joined in 2015 were not fitted with route displays, only brackets for the licence boxes), but these were not switched on for a long period of time due to frequent breakdowns, with only route numbering and start/end point information paper plates inserted into the front of the buses, until September 2017, when Lantau Bus re-fitted the Mitsubishi Rosa with a new electronic display system supplied by Hanover. Hanover supplied electronic route displays.
From 2017, Route 37H was converted to use MAN RC2 (MN92-95) and demand for minibuses reduced (only Route 34 remains in regular minibus service), leaving only MS13-15 in fleet service.
In July 2021, the MS14-15 were officially retired and replaced by Toyota Coasters (TCM01-02), whose Hanover electronic route displays were removed in December 2020 and transplanted to the two Coasters, thus leaving only the MS13s in service, and the Rosa fleet of Lantau Bus was officially automated. In 2023, NLB introduced one more Toyota Coaster (TCM03) and the remaining MS13 was retired.
| List of NLB's second-hand Mitsubishi Rosa fleet | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet No. | Plate No. | Route sign | First registration date | Date joining NLB | Retirement date | Remark | ||
| Mitsubishi Rosa BE439F | ||||||||
| MS1 | ER6837 | 14-11-1990 | 1997 | 2001 | [4] | |||
| MS2 | ER8068 | |||||||
| MS3 | ET2995 | 19-02-1991 | ||||||
| MS4 | ET3806 | |||||||
| Mitsubishi Rosa BE437F | ||||||||
| MS5 | GW8018 | 08-1996 | 2001 | 2005 | [4] | |||
| MS6 | GW8178 | |||||||
| MS7 | GW7263 | |||||||
| Mitsubishi Rosa BE649J | ||||||||
| MS8 | KA2185 | 20-04-2001 | 23-05-2005 | 21-08-2015 | [5] | |||
| MS9 | KA1290 | 02-06-2005 | 31-08-2012 | |||||
| MS10 | KA2230 | 15-06-2005 | 16-10-2012 | |||||
| MS16 | NX5098 | 19-08-2009 | 11-09-2015 | 26-01-2017 | [5][6] | |||
| Mitsubishi Rosa BE63DJ | ||||||||
| MS11 | NZ2773 | Amplus electronic destination sign (Orange) | 16-10-2009 | 16-10-2012 | 26-01-2017 | [4][7][8] | ||
| MS12 | NZ4849 | 23-10-2009 | [4][7] | |||||
| MS14 | NY2835 | Hanover electronic destination sign (Orange) | 10-09-2009 | 28-08-2015 | 09-08-2021 | [4][6] | ||
| MS15 | NY5118 | 18-09-2009 | 11-09-2015 | [4][6] | ||||
| Mitsubishi Rosa BE641J | ||||||||
| MS13 | RY4232 | Hanover electronic destination sign (Orange) | 21-03-2013 | 23-08-2015 | 2023 | [5][7][9] | ||
Discovery Bay Transit Services (DBTSL)[]
The Discovery Bay Transit Services Limited (DBTSL) introduced four Mitsubishi Rosas with widened doors and luggage racks (converted by Jit Luen Auto Body Works of Hong Kong) to serve the Discovery Bay Shoppers' Routes in 1991-1995. The four Mitsubishi Rosa became the only minibuses in Hong Kong that could accommodate corporate spaces and have now been retired. [10]
DBTSL introduced two more long-length Mitsubishi Rosa in 2001, one of which was retired in 2011.
In late 2012, DBTSL purchased a second-hand Mitsubishi Rosa, and Auberge Discovery Bay Hong Kong subsequently introduced four Mitsubishi Rosas, which still have left-handed rear doors and automatic transmission, and can only carry 25 passengers due to the luggage racks inside.
In 2013 and 2015, DBTSL introduced one Mitsubishi Rosa of the same specification as that of Auberge Discovery Bay Hong Kong to replace the remaining 2001 and 2003 Mitsubishi Rosa.
In 2020, DBTSL took delivery of a Mitsubishi Rosa (DBAY203) from Auberge Discovery Bay Hong Kong and commenced service immediately after installation of Hanover Orange Light Emitting Diode (LED) electronic destination sign.
| List of DBTSL's Mitsubishi Rosa fleet | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet No. | Plate No. | Route sign | 1st registration date | Date joined DBTSL | Retirement date | Remarks |
| Rosa BE439F; with Mitsubishi 6.95m bodywork | ||||||
| HKR5 | EX7099 | No route sign | 08-10-1991 | 16-05-1999 | ||
| HKR27 | EX7370 | 12-05-1999 | ||||
| HKR79 | FF6152 | 10-08-1992 | 07-07-2002 | |||
| HKR86 | GG5778 | 05-01-1995 | 27-06-2002 | |||
| Rosa BE649J; with Mitsubishi 7.73m bodywork | ||||||
| DBAY75 | JZ6650 | No route sign | 04-2001 | 24-02-2011 | ||
| DBAY77 | JY9219 | 15-03-2001 | 21-10-2013 | |||
| DBAY155 | RM8446 | 2003 | 2015 | |||
| Rosa BE641J; with Mitsubishi 7.73m bodywork | ||||||
| DBAY62 | VE6513 | No route sign | 2017 | |||
| DBAY77 | SG6664 | 22-10-2013 | ||||
| DBAY155 | TL8393 | 18-06-2015 | ||||
| DBAY203 | RY3894 | Hanover II electronic destination sign (Orange) | 25-03-2013 | Former vehicle of Auberge Discovery Bay Hong Kong | ||
KCR Bus[]
KCR Bus introduced Mitsubishi Rosas[11] around 1995 to serve Route 50R. These Mitsubishi Rosas are now retired.
| List of KCR Bus' Mitsubishi Rosa fleet | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet No. | Plate No. | Engine | Gearbox | Passenger Capacity | Year joined | Year retired | Remark |
| With Mitsubishi body | |||||||
| 172 | GE4901 | Mitsubishi 4D34 | Mitsubishi M2S5 | L24 24 pax |
1989 | TBC | |
Long Win Bus (LWB)[]
Long Win Bus (LWB) introduced a Mitsubishi Rosa (HZ2392) as a staff shuttle bus in 1999, which was replaced by a Toyota Coaster in 2011.
New World First Bus (NWFB)[]
Chassis number: BE439E-A0182
New World First Bus (NWFB) introduced one Mitsubishi Rosa (SV52) in 1999 [12] as a staff shuttle bus registered as a private light bus with 12 seats, which was retired in 2017 upon reaching the retirement deadline of Euro I diesel light buses.
| List of NWFB's Mitsubishi Rosa fleet | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet No. | Plate No. | Engine | Gearbox | Passenger Capacity | 1st registration date | Retirement Year | Remark |
| With Mitsubishi body | |||||||
| SV52 | JB7617 | Mitsubishi 4D34 (Euro 1) |
Mitsubishi M2S5 | L12 12 pax |
18-05-1999 | 2017 | |
Other non-franchised bus companies[]
The Mitsubishi Rosa has been introduced by individual non-franchised bus companies, many of them in extra-long-length configuration, with a seating capacity of 29 to 30 passengers in 2+2 seating configuration (a 31-seat version with inverted "guide seats" is also available), and 23 passengers in 2+1 seating configuration.
From 2012, Mitsubishi's Hong Kong agent has introduced a new version of the Rosa, with the rear emergency door changed from left to centre. With the 2+2 seating configuration, the number of seats in the last row can be increased from 3 to 4, and the vehicle can normally carry up to 30 passengers, with all seats facing forward, and can meet the school bus specification. The first non-franchised bus company to acquire the Rosa was Jackson Coach Hire Service, followed by Kwoon Chung Bus, with some of the vehicles licensed in 2014 being placed on Airport Express Complimentary Shuttle Bus routes to replace the same model and the Toyota Coaster, which is fitted with oversized luggage racks and has only 20 passenger seats in a 2+2 arrangement.
School Private Light Bus[]
Some school private light buses are now Mitsubishi Rosa, which is similar to the PLB version.
Gallery[]
Notes and References[]
- ↑ Whilst minibuses from 7 July 2017 can be fitted with 19 seats, there is limited space on the 6.255m standard array minibuses from that batch onwards, with a maximum of 17 seats, and therefore the chances of increasing the number of seats are extremely low, remaining at 16 seats.
- ↑ 全新 三菱 Fuso Rosa BE7 仕様 (Whole-new appearance of Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa BE7), HK Bus Channel.
- ↑ 全新 三菱 Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa (BE7仕様) x JoJoBUS - EP18 HK Bus Channel 20220725 *附中文字幕* (WHole=new Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa (BE7 appearance) x JoJoBUS - EP18 HK Bus Channel 20220725), HK Bus Channel's YouTube channel
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 With electric inner folding door
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 電動外推門
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Was once a vehicle on ICC Shuttle Bus
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Once served on Route NR954
- ↑ Fleet number was mistakenly sticked as MS9
- ↑ With protection barrier
- ↑ http://www.wretch.cc/blog/mriron/23354433
- ↑ Number unknown, the plate of one of which was GE4901
- ↑ The vehicle was delivered in 1996.
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External Links[]
- Mitsubishi Fuso's main company website: Rosa
- Mitsubishi Fuso's Hong Kong website: Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa buses
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