Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge shuttle service Golden Bus bets big on China’s Greater Bay Area blueprint

HZM, the only cross-border shuttle service on the world’s longest sea crossing, expects to be profitable in three years.

Since launch in late October, 24-hour Golden Bus has transported more than 6 million passengers, averaging about 50,000 per day

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Zhang Guangyou, chairman of HKM bus, revealed the firm had invested HK$500 million in the service. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 9:01am, 26 Feb 2019Updated: 9:35am, 26 Feb 2019

The chairman of the only cross-border shuttle service on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is betting millions of dollars the route will turn a profit by 2021, thanks to a surge of passengers expected to be unleashed by China’s new “Greater Bay Area” plan.

HZM Bus boss Zhang Guangyou revealed on Monday the firm had invested HK$500 million (US$63.7 million) in the 24-hour service.

Beijing unveiled its grand plan for the Greater Bay Area – a development blueprint meant to integrate Hong Kong, Macau, and nine mainland Chinese cities into an economic powerhouse to rival Silicon Valley by 2035 – last week.

“At present, both Hong Kong residents and visitors are starting to familiarise themselves with our service. We hope to see profits after three years,” Zhang said.

“After the Greater Bay Area measures are in place in the region, we hope people in these cities will have closer interaction, which will definitely benefit our business,” he added.

Since the service was launched on October 24, Zhang said the shuttles had made 170,000 trips and transported more than 6 million passengers – an average of about 50,000 passengers per day.