The North Lantau Special Bus Route B6 is operated by New Lantao Bus (NLB). It runs between HZMB Hong Kong Port and Mun Tung Estate, via Tung Chung Town Centre.
Route B6 is one of the new feeder routes to tie in with the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) and serves passengers travelling between the HZMB Hong Kong Port and Tung Chung Town Centre. It is one of the first 24-hour franchised bus routes in Hong Kong, together with Route B4, which commenced service on the same day. [1]
History[]
Commencing Background[]
The Transport Department (TD) released the Local Public Transport Arrangements at the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in 2016, proposing to provide an additional green minibus (GMB) route to and from Tung Chung Station and two franchised bus routes to connect to the HZMB Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (or HZMB Hong Kong Port) on the opening day of the HZMB, one to and from the Airport and AsiaWorld-Expo, and the other to and from Sunny Bay Station. [2]
Some members of the local community were of the view that the GMB route originally proposed by the TD between the HZMB Hong Kong Port and Tung Chung Station was not sufficient to fully cope with the volume of passengers interchanging with the railway, and there was insufficient space in the compartments for storing baggage [3]. Having considered the views of various parties, the Department decided to replace the buses with franchised buses, with the terminus located at Mun Tung Estate, in order to serve more Tung Chung residents. [1]
After an open tender process, TD announced in November 2017 that the franchise for the route between HZMB Hong Kong Port and Mun Tung Estate was awarded to New Lantao Bus (NLB), and was subsequently numbered B6.
With the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) on 24 October 2018, all HZMB feeder routes came into operation at the same time, and Route B6, which operates 24 hours a day and does not have a separate overnight route or charge higher fares during the overnight period, is a pioneer of franchised bus services in Hong Kong along with NLB's another route B4.
Route Change History[]
- 24 October 2018: To tie in with the commissioning of HZMB Hong Kong Kong Port at 9:00 am, Route B6 was put into service between HZMB Hong Kong Port and Mun Tung Estate, and a concessionary fare of $7.0 was provided in the first year of operation. [4][5]
- The original proposal was to use Yu Tung Road, Tung Chung Eastern Interchange, North Lantau Highway and Shun Long Road (Southern Link of the Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok Link) for travelling to/from HZMB Hong Kong Port. As the western slip road of Shun Long Road connecting to the North Lantau Highway was not yet completed at that time, the route was temporarily diverted to use the roads on the Airport Island [1]. Although the western slip road of Shun Long Road connecting to the North Lantau Highway was opened to traffic at 6:00 a.m. on 30 November 2018 [6], no immediate arrangement was made to divert the route to the new road.
- 28 January 2019: The stopover at Tung Chung Station for HZMB Hong Kong Port was temporarily relocated to a section of Tat Tung Road near the roadside outside the public toilet, i.e. behind the "Citygate" bus stop and opposite to the Tung Chung Temporary Bus Terminus; initially it was planned to run on a trial basis until 10 February of the same year [7], and then it was extended to 26 April of the same year. [8]
- 27 April 2019: The following changes were implemented to tie in with the re-opening of Tung Chung Town Centre Bus Terminus: [9]
- The intermediate stop next to Tat Tung Road Public Toilet for HZMB Hong Kong Port was formally relocated to Tung Chung Temporary Bus Terminus;
- The intermediate stop at Tung Chung MTR Station for the direction of Mun Tung Estate was relocated to Tung Chung Town Centre Bus Terminus.
- 23 September 2019: A new section fare from Tung Chung Town Centre to Mun Tung Estate was added [10] and changed to travel to and from Hong Kong Port via Yu Tung Road, Tung Chung Eastern Interchange, North Lantau Highway and Shun Long Road (Southern link of Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok Link) without formal notice.
- 24 October 2019: Fare concession expired and the full fare was reverted to the regular $7.5 from that date. [11]
- 8 February 2020: In response to the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, the Government compressed the cross-boundary passenger flow between Hong Kong and the Mainland, and the service hours are changed to 07:00 to 22:40, with one departure every hour, and the overnight service was suspended. [12]
- 12 March 2020: The last bus from HZMB Hong Kong Port was postponed to 23:15. [13]
- 5 April 2020: The first bus time was advanced to 07:30 from HZMB Hong Kong Port, and last bus time late to 22:30 from Mun Tung Estate. [14]
- 8 January 2023: 24-hour daily service was resumed in response to the Government's resumption of the first phase of customs clearance. [15]
- 27 September 2023: A Same Day Return Discount is offered, which passengers riding trips to Hong Kong Port between 05:00 and 23:45 daily and using the same Octopus card to all stops on Routes 39M and B6 (Mun Tung direction) from Tung Chung Station onwards on the same day can enjoy a fare discount;[16] meanwhile, the amount of Octopus interchange concession discount with Route 38 was increased from $2.2 to $3.6[17].
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 4/2023, see here for the referenced link
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Special trips[]
| HZMB Hong Kong Port → Tung Chung Station ● |
|---|
| Sundays and Public Holidays |
| 21:07, 21:37 |
Informal short-haul trips from HZMB Hong Kong Port terminating at Tung Chung MTR Station may be added during peak cross-boundary hours.
- This route provides Estimated Time of Arrival Enquiry Service.
Fares[]
| Journey/Boarding Stop | Fares |
|---|---|
| Full Fare | $9.1 |
| Section Fares (to Mun Tung Estate) | |
| From Tung Chung Station Bus Terminus | $5.1 |
| Fare Remarks |
|---|
|
Octopus Interchange Concessions[]
Passengers using the same Octopus card to interchange to the designated route after this route within a specific time, or transfer from the designated route to this route can enjoy an interchange concession. The details are as follows: (Half discount for children and senior citizens.) Template:NLB Route B6 Interchange Concession Scheme
Bus Deployments[]
This route is served by five and six air-conditioned double-decker buses on Mondays to Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays respectively, mainly using MAN A95 (MDR) equipped with rear-axle Assisted steering system, with the possibility of additional support from other vehicle types, such as Enviro400 Euro V (AD), during peak hours.
Routing[]
To Mun Tung Estate[]
To Mun Tung Estate: The distance of this route is approx. 10.7km, and the journey time is approximately 22mins. (The average speed is 29.2km/h.)
Via: Shun Wui Road, Chek Lap Kok Road, Shun Long Road, North Lantau Highway, Tung Chung Eastern Interchange, Yu Tung Road, Shun Tung Road, Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung Station Bus Terminus, Tat Tung Road, Shun Tung Road and Yu Tung Road
| New Lantao Bus Route B6 (HZMB Hong Kong Port → Mun Tung Estate) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | HZMB Hong Kong Port Artificial Island | HZMB Hong Kong Port | ||
Shun Long Road;  North Lantau Highway
| ||||
| 2 | Tung Chung Town Centre | Tat Tung Road | Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal |  Interchange to South Lantau, Tung Chung North, Yat Tung
|
| 3 | Tung Chung Station Bus Terminus  |
Section fare begins here | ||
| 4 | Shun Tung Road | Yu Tung Court | ||
| 5 | Tung Chung West | Yu Tung Road | Mun Tung Estate | |
To HZMB Hong Kong Port[]
To To HZMB Hong Kong Port: The distance of this route is approx. 11.5km, and the journey time is approximately 24mins. (The average speed is 28.8km/h.)
Via: Yu Tung Road, Shun Tung Road, Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung Tat Tung Road Bus Terminus, Tat Tung Road, Shun Tung Road, Yu Tung Road, Tung Chung Eastern Interchange, North Lantau Highway, Shun Long Road, Chek Lap Kok Road, Shun Fai Road and Shun Wui Road
| New Lantao Bus Route B6 (Mun Tung Estate → HZMB Hong Kong Port) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Area | Road | Bus Stop Name | Remarks |
| 1 | Tung Chung West | Yu Tung Road | Mun Tung Estate | |
| 2 | Fuk Yat House Yat Tung Estate | |||
| 3 | Yung Yat House Yat Tung Estate | |||
| 4 | Tung Chung Town Centre | Shun Tung Road | Tung Chung Fire Station | |
| 5 | Tung Chung Tat Tung Road Bus Terminus |
Interchange from South Lantau, Tung Chung North, Yat Tung
| ||
| North Lantau Highway; Shun Long Road
| ||||
| 6 | HZMB Hong Kong Port Artificial Island | Shun Fai Road | HZMB Hong Kong Port Passenger Clearance Building | Alighting only |
| 7 | HZMB Hong Kong Port | |||
Ridership[]
Tung Chung Town Centre is the nearest shopping hotspot to the HZMB Hong Kong Port. Visitors can spend their money at Citygate or nearby shopping malls, and they can take the "E" routes to travel to and from the urban areas, take the Ngong Ping 360 cable car to Ngong Ping, or take NLB buses to reach Mui Wo, Ngong Ping and Tai O, etc. In less than two weeks of the operation of Route B6, the route has successfully attracted a large number of passengers to queue up at the HZMB Hong Kong Port and Tung Chung Station.
Among them, the queue at the stop at Tung Chung Station was so long that it once extended to the plaza opposite to Citygate and Tung Chung Crescent, arousing strong dissatisfaction among local residents. Some Islands District Councillors requested the authorities to move the stop [18], and some Legislative Council Members even requested the suspension of weekend services [19]. The person-in-charge of NLB, Mr Wong Leung-pak, pointed out that it was not necessary to relocate the bus stops as long as barriers were installed at the bus stops at the Tung Chung Station and additional manpower was deployed to maintain order, while stressing that the location of the Tung Chung Temporary Bus Terminus was not suitable [20]. NLB would also introduce tour boarding passes to eliminate the need for passengers to search for coins and shorten waiting time. [21]
The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan, said that the Government was very concerned about the queuing situation at Tung Chung Station and would take diversionary measures by appealing to travellers to switch to Route B5 to Sunny Bay, and then transfer to MTR for travelling to and from the urban area [22]. However, many tour groups did not respond to the Administration's appeal and continued to take this route to Tung Chung. Some local organisations demanded the police to take strict enforcement actions against individual tours, and even launched the "Restore Tung Chung" campaign [23][24][25][26], during which Wong Leung-pak and Tsuen Wan District Councillor Roy Tam exchanged insults over the operation of this route.[27][28]
In reply to a question raised by a LegCo Member, the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, said that relocating the head of this route at Tung Chung Station might give rise to other problems, such as the need for passengers to walk back after getting off the bus, which would in turn create more crowds, but she kept an open mind on the issue. [29]
After repeated studies, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, replied in writing to the Legislative Council that the relevant departments of the Hong Kong Government were actively handling the acceptance procedures for the new PTI on the ground floor of the Citygate Extension, i.e. the new PTI converted from the original Tung Chung Town Centre Bus Terminus, so as to provide a number of additional bus pick-up/drop-off bays for the use of franchised buses. TD will also relocate the Route B6 stop at Tung Chung Station to reduce the impact of passenger congestion on nearby residents. [30]
With the waning of the popularity of using the HZMB for customs clearance and the decrease in the number of travellers visiting Hong Kong after the social movement in the second half of 2019, the patronage of this route has dropped significantly compared with the initial period of its operation, which is no longer the same as that in the initial period of the commissioning of the HZMB; and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia in 2020, which has led to the drastic drop in the demand for travelling to and from Hong Kong as well as Zhuhai and Macao, and has resulted in a poor patronage.
According to the information in the Bus Route Planning Programmes and relevant documents in past years, the patronage of this route is as follows:
- 2018: Secretary for Transport and Housing (STH) Frank Chan pointed out that the number of passengers using this route to Tung Chung Station was about 11,000, of which 7,000 were MTR interchange passengers. TD conducted the first patronage survey on 11 November, and the occupancy rate was 63% between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm towards the HZMB Hong Kong Port, and 94% between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm towards Tung Chung Station [31] . Separately, TD informed the Islands District Council that the daily patronage of this route during November would be around 3,200 to 18,000, with 12% additional trips. [32]
- 2019: In a patronage survey conducted on 19 March, the occupancy rate between 9:00 am and 10:00 am towards the HZMB Hong Kong Port was 61%, and that between 11:00 am and 12:00 noon towards Tung Chung Station was 94%. [31]
Related Incidents[]
- 29 December 2018: At around 10:00 a.m., a NLB bus captain was driving MAN A95 (MDR21/VN7328) towards the HZMB Hong Kong Port when he was steering the vehicle with one hand and chatting with another person on his mobile phone with the other hand, which was video-filmed by a passenger and a complaint was lodged with a newspaper press.[33]
Gallery[]
.JPG "VP9472@B6(Oct).JPG (2.4 MB)")
Remarks[]
Related Articles[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Transport Department HKSARG, "港珠澳大橋香港口岸本地公共交通服務最新安排" (Local Public Transport Arrangements at the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge) [Discussion document], May 2017.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "港珠澳大橋香港口岸的本地公共交通服務安排（首輪建議）" (Local Public Transport Arrangements at the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (First-Round Suggestions)) , March 2016.
- ↑ 大嶼山的交通及運輸事宜 (Traffic and Transport on Lantau Island), Third Meeting of the Lantau Development Advisory Committee Transport and District Improvement Project Team, 30 November 2017.
- ↑ New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Ltd., "New Route Operation - B6" [News Release], 19 October 2018.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Introduction of NLB Route No. B4 (Hong Kong Port (HKP) of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) – Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)) CTB Route No. B5 (HKP of HZMB – Sunny Bay Public Transport Interchange) NLB Route No. B6 (HKP of HZMB – Tung Chung Mun Tung Estate)" [Traffic Advice], 23 October 2018.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "New Road Opening on Shun Long Road, Lantau Island" [Traffic Advice], 26 November 2018.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Public transport service arrangements for Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port during Lunar New Year holiday" [News Bulletin], 31 January 2019.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Temporary Relocation of Bus Stop of New Lantao Bus Route B6 at Tung Chung Station Bus Terminus" [Traffic Advice], 11 February 2019.
- ↑ New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Ltd., "NLB Route B6 Bus Stop Permanent Relocation" [News Release], 24 April 2019.
- ↑ New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Ltd., "NLB Route B6 Headway Adjustment and New Section Fare" [News Release], 16 September 2019.
- ↑ New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Ltd., "NLB Routes B4 and B6 Fare Concession Ended" [News Release], 18 October 2019.
- ↑ "【武漢肺炎】深圳灣口岸的跨境巴士將暫停服務" ([Wuhan pneumonia] Shenzhen Bay Port cross-boundary bus to suspend service), Headline Daily, 6 February 2020.
- ↑ New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Ltd., "NLB Route B6 Temporary Extension of Service Hours" [News Release], 11 March 2020.
- ↑ New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Ltd., "NLB Routes B4 and B6 Temporary Adjust of Service Hours" [News Release], 4 April 2020.
- ↑ Transport Department HKSARG, "Transport Arrangements for Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port" [Traffic Advice], 6 January 2023.
- ↑ New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Ltd., "NLB introduce Same Day Return Discount Concession Scheme" [News Release], 26 September 2023.
- ↑ New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Ltd., "Adjustment of Bus Bus Interchange Discount" [News Release], 25 September 2023.
- ↑ 東堤灣畔傍晚一度現人龍 周浩鼎促搬走B6巴士站 (Crowds appeared at Tung Chung Crescent at evening, Holden Chow asked to relocate the stop), Ming Pao, 3 Nov 2018.
- ↑ 【逼爆東涌】葉劉淑儀促周末暫停B6線 將於行政會議上提出, HK01..
- ↑ 【港珠澳大橋】黃良柏：東涌B6巴士站秩序良好 毋須搬遷, HK01..
- ↑ 【港珠澳大橋】口岸巴士B6線塞爆 嶼巴擬周日推三招疏導人龍, HK01..
- ↑ "【港珠澳大橋】東涌傍晚持續有人龍候車回內地 巴士加快班次疏導" ([HZMB] Persistent crowding at Tung Chung back to Mainland; headways enhanced to ease crowds), Sing Tao Daily, 10 November 2018.
- ↑ 【港珠澳大橋】加強旅客分流首日 仍見旅行團坐B6往東涌, HK01..
- ↑ 違規內地團仍不絕 無統一團牌疑扮個人遊客 (Illegal Mainland tours persisted: no unified tour sign suspected to be pretending individual tourists), Oriental Daily News, 10 Nov 2018.
- ↑ 【港珠澳大橋】譚凱邦等人東涌捉違規旅行團 雙方一度發生口角, HK01..
- ↑ "【東涌淪陷】疑似無牌內地團逼爆B6巴士線 「東涌人」狙擊無牌導遊" ([Fall of Tung Chung] Suspected unlicenced guiding tours crowded Route B6 bus: Tung Chung residents catch on unlicenced tour guides), Apple Daily, 11 November 2018.
- ↑ 11Nov2018 東涌 大嶼山冠忠巴士老闆黃良柏 維持乘客秩序時候 突然叫譚凱邦死開 (11 Nov 2018, NLB KCB boss Wong Leung-pak asks Roy Tam to f*** off while maintaining order at Tung Chung), YouTube.
- ↑ 11NOV2018「光復東涌」團體與大嶼山冠忠巴士老闆黃良柏起衝突 (11NOV2018 "Restore Tung Chung" organisations in verbal quarrel with NLB/KCB boss Wong Leung-pak), YouTube.
- ↑ HKSARG, "行政長官質詢時間答問全文（一）（只有中文）（附短片）" (The Chief Executive's Question and Answer Session (1) (Chinese only) (with video)) [News Bulletin], 14 November 2018.
- ↑ "邱騰華指研遷移東涌B6號巴士站減對居民影響" (Edward Yau said considering relocation of Route B6 bus stop at Tung Chung to minimise effects on residents), Sing Tao Daily, 9 January 2019.
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 "財務委員會審核二零一九至二零年度開支預算管制人員的答覆（局長：運輸及房屋局局長第9節會議）" (Replies to initial written questions raised by Finance Committee Members in examining the Estimates of Expenditure 2019-20 (Director of Bureau : Secretary for Transport and Housing Session No. 9)), Legislative Council, p. 466.
- ↑ "有關港珠澳大橋開通後的交通情況的提問（運輸署書面回覆）" (Question on the traffic situation after the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (Transport Department's written reply)), Islands District Council Paper IDC 127/2018.
- ↑ "【爆相爆片】嶼巴車長全程揸車講電話 乘客投訴一於懶理" (NLB bus captain talks on phone while driving for the whole trip, passenger complaints ignored), Apple Daily, 31 December 2018
External Links[]
Template:Ref-NLB Template:Ref-NLB Template:Pig-NLB Template:Pig-NLB
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| Note: (#) MTR Sunny Bay Station, Penny's Bay (Hong Kong Disneyland Terminus) and Ma Wan are all located in Tsuen Wan District, please refer to the District Council Constituency Boundary Map. Italic: Specific service hours/part-time route; →: Outbound service only; ←: Inbound service only | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| List of routes connecting Boundary Control Points | |
|---|---|
| Lok Ma Chau Control Point (connecting to Huanggang Port) | <Cross-boundary Shuttle Buses> Huang Bus <Cross-boundary Coaches> Kam Sheung Road All China Express • China-Hong Kong Express (Tsuen Wan) • Yau Tsim 24-hour Cross-border Express • Mong Kok All China Express • Kwun Tong 24-hour Cross-border Express • Wan Chai All China Express • Wonderland Express • Huanggang Cross-boundary Bus Tung Chung Citygate Route <Late-night GMB> 44B • 79S • 616S |
| Shenzhen Bay Control Point (connects to Shenzhen Bay Port of Entry) | <Local Services> Franchised Buses: B2 • B2P • B2X • B3 • B3A • B3M • B3X Green Minibuses: 618 <Cross-boundary Coaches> Trans-Island Prince Edward-Shenzhen Bay Route • Trans-Island Tsim Sha Tsui-Shenzhen Bay Route • Shenzhen Bay Cross-border Express • East Kowloon Express • Trans-Island Sheung Wan-Shenzhen Bay Route • Trans-Island Causeway Bay-Shenzhen Bay Route • Shenzhen Bay-Ocean Park Route • Shenzhen Bay Cross-boundary Bus Shenzhen Bay Route |
| Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point (connects to Futian Port of Entry) | |
| Sha Tau Kok Control Point (connects to Shatoujiao Port of Entry) | |
| Man Kam To Control Point (connects to Shenzhen Wenjindu Port of Entry) | <Cross-boundary Coaches> Man Kam To Express |
| Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Control Point (connects to HZMB Macau Frontier Post and Zhuhai Port) | <Local Services> Franchised Buses:A10 • A11 • A12 • A17 • A21 • A22 • A23 • A25 • A26 • A28 • A29 • A30 • A31 • A32 • A33X • A34 • A35 • A36 • A37 • A38 • A41 • A41P • A42 • A43 • A46 • A47X • B4 • B5 • B6 • N35 • NA11 • NA12 • NA20 • NA21 • NA29 • NA31 • NA32 • NA33 • NA36 • NA37 • NA40 • NA41 • NA43 • NA47 Green Minibuses: 901 <Cross-boundary shuttle buses/coaches> Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Shuttle Bus <Cross-border Coaches> One Bus • Hong Kong - Macao Express • Kwun Tong (apm)-Macau Route • EEBus HZMB-Macau Route |
| Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (connects to Shenzhen Liantang Port) | |
| HKIA SkyPier Terminal (connects to HZMB Macau Frontier Post and Zhuhai Port) | <Cross-boundary Coaches> Macau HK Airport Direct • Zhuhai HK Airport Direct (Direct access to the restricted area of the airport without immigration clearance in Hong Kong) |