New World First Bus fans vow to take photos and many rides before colours change to Citybus’ yellow and red following merger
- Companies’ owner hopes bringing the operations together will reduce overlapping routes and cut costs
- Enthusiasts will miss the green, orange and white buses that took them to school every morning
When two of Hong Kong’s franchised bus operators announced their merger earlier this week, a 16-year-old fan decided to ride on the New World First Bus and take a picture of it every day.
“I will treasure the time I can still ride on the New World First Bus and will definitely have more rides on it in the coming year,” said Thomas Lee, a Form Four student who has been a fan of the company since he was three.
Lee wants to have as many rides as he can in the two years before the roughly 650-strong New World First Bus fleet will be repainted as Citybus as part of the merger. The two firms had about 1,360 buses running more than 299 routes in Hong Kong and Kowloon as of June 2022. The merger will result in Citybus operating under a renewed 10-year franchise from July next year.
The owner of the loss-making companies, Bravo Transport Services, hopes the merger will create savings by reducing overlapping resources while committing itself to a HK$3.5 billion (US$445.9 million) investment during the new franchise term.
In two years, the New World First Bus fleet will have its iconic green, orange and white vehicles repainted in yellow and red, the colour scheme of Citybus.
By that time, Citybus will also change bus stop poles to one with a simpler design and incorporate some into passenger shelters, according to a Legislative Council document.
Citybus and New World First Bus, which focus on Hong Kong Island and cross-harbour routes, were founded in 1979 and 1998 respectively. The government said the merger would help refine the city’s bus network since the two companies were operating some overlapping services on Hong Kong Island.
Lam Kam-biu, chairman of New World First Bus Company Staff Union, told the Post that many fans were so keen to say farewell to the buses that they frantically chased after them to take pictures, especially in recent days.
“This is very dangerous,” he said.
Some 4,600 drivers from the two bus companies would also receive a new uniform as part of the merger, Lam added.
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On the day of the merger announcement on Wednesday, the logo of the two companies’ joint Facebook page was changed to Citybus.
The merger might be good news for the company, but was depressing for Lee, who was shocked by the announcement.
“I couldn’t focus on studying for my exams after hearing the news,” he said.
The teenager said he felt so attached to the New World First Bus because it was his maiden ride on public transport.
“I still remember my grandpa took me for a ride on route 112 when I was three, then it became the bus route I love the most,” Lee recalled. The route runs between So Uk in Kowloon and North Point on Hong Kong Island.
Living on Hong Kong Island, Lee took the New World First Bus every day to school. “Actually it would be closer for me to take the Citybus, but I still choose to walk farther to the New World First Bus station,” he said.
The New World First Bus has been a constant companion for a lot of students going to school, including Alex*, a fan in his 30s, who even witnessed the birth of the company.
The New World First Bus started its operation in 1998 by taking over the routes previously held by China Motor Bus, a bus company that closed in the same year, and Alex was one of those who had experienced the transition period.
“After I entered secondary school, I started to take the New World First Bus every day. I had been taking it ever since I was young,” he said, adding that he would now seize every opportunity to take photos.
Another enthusiast, Rheneas Choi, a 25-year-old IT worker living in Kowloon, said he would miss the colour scheme of the New World First Bus the most.
“The colour combination is quite beautiful. It will be good if they can keep the original colour and only change the logo,” Choi said, adding that he would take more pictures of the bus whenever he saw it now.
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Jimmy Fung, a 24-year-old enthusiast who was a former driver for New World First Bus, found it hard to say goodbye and recalled the memories he had.
“I served as a bus driver with the New World First Bus for one year and a month. I remember the beautiful scenery I saw in Tai Tam when driving past the reservoir dam after a typhoon in October last year,” he said, adding that he still missed the old days of being a driver.
Fung said he would collect more bus miniature models of the New World First Bus in the coming year.
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Two years ago, Fung graduated from Chinese University majoring in Earth system science, but he loved buses so much that he chose to become a driver instead of entering his chosen field.
“New World First Bus and I were both born in 1998, which makes it even more special to me,” said Fung, who grew up and lives on Hong Kong Island.
“The New World First Bus has been accompanying the people living on Hong Kong Island for so many years. It is definitely a pity for us to lose it and, of course, we will miss it,” he said.
*Name changed at interviewee’s request
Additional reporting by Denise Tsang
