244 buses to hit the road

New World First Bus has ordered 244 new air-conditioned, wheelchair- and environmentally friendly buses, to hit the road by the end of the year.

The company, which will take over 88 Hong Kong Island bus routes from China Motor Bus on September 1, said it planned to acquire 500 new buses within two years.

An initial order of 244 buses, placed on Thursday with British manufacturer Dennis Group, would cost $500 million.

The order includes 202 new Dennis Trident double-decker buses and 42 Dennis Dart single-deckers.

The initial 40 buses will carry their first passengers on September 1 and the remainder will start operating by the end of the year, the company said.

'While there will be a mixture of new and old buses in the first two years when we take over the operations, we expect the old buses will be gradually phased out and replaced by brand new ones,' New World First Bus managing director Adolf Hsu Hsung said.