Farewell to Hong Kong's 'hot dogs'

Have you ever taken a 'hot dog'? 'Hot dog' is the common slang in Hong Kong for a non-air-conditioned bus. KMB stopped using these buses this month and some people are upset because they have good memories of those buses. KMB said the buses emitted a lot of poisonous gases and the new buses are cleaner. But some people say the company just wants to charge more for air-conditioned vehicles.

The hot dogs could be really comfortable and a unique experience, with all the windows down on a hot, sunny day. Is it really necessary to eliminate all these buses? Also, are the new air-conditioned buses really much greener than the hot dogs? Why can't we have at least some of them for those who want a cheaper ride?

Anyway, goodbye hot dogs, and once again, thank you.

Kaysie Tsui Wai-kei, Immaculate Heart of Mary College

From the Editor

Thank you for your letter, Wai-kei. We hope you liked today's cover story. Team YP is going to miss the hot dogs, too, and we also hope that a few could be left for those of us who want to step back into the past. It always seems to be the case in Hong Kong that progress comes at the total destruction of whatever there was before it. This does not have to be so. In big European cities - and even in cities on the mainland - the old and the new live side by side.