Bus fan and author Danny Chan Chi-yu this week released a book titled Hong Kong Bus Recognition. The 40-year-old publisher, who used to be a transport correspondent for Ta Kung Pao in the 1970s, also took photographs for the book. Chan, a father of two children aged 12 and eight, says he developed a passion for buses during his own childhood. He lives with his family in Taikoo Shing and owns and runs a firm publishing books on aspects of Hong Kong transport. What's on your mind? I am a fan of buses but I could hardly find any books on them written in Chinese. So I published a series of handbooks to let the readers know more about local buses. The first one is on Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB), followed by the ones on Citybus, China Motor Bus, KCRC buses operated for its light rail train stations, and those on Lantau Island and Discovery Bay. Earlier this year, I also published a yearbook on various incidents in the field of public buses. What are the characteristics of Hong Kong buses? They are very competitive and the bus companies are quite bold in bringing in new types of buses - some of which have never been used in other places before - such as the low-floor buses brought in by KMB and Citybus. The Hong Kong market is quite important to suppliers. Manufacturers in, say, England, tailor-make buses to suit specific needs. The companies may find it worthwhile to invest in new buses because it's a lucrative business. What is your view on the recent spate of bus accidents? This is a sensitive subject. I mainly pay attention to the vehicles, but the practice of Citybus of putting buses and drivers on different routes every day has been a challenge to many bus fans, who find themselves taking pictures of the same bus in different districts with different drivers. This would not happen with buses of other companies. Perhaps the situation will improve if each driver can get used to a routine of caring for his own bus. How will the new book benefit your readers? Riding on a bus will become more fun than before. They can tell which is a Dennis, Volvo or Mercedes-Benz. They can also compare various buses' ages and strengths.
