By: Calvin So
Introduction
Hong Kong is home to several privately-owned transit systems, working together to transport over 3 million people daily. Some of the major transit systems include Citybus, KMB, MTR, and New World First Bus.
Citybus, KMB, and New World First Bus provide the core of the bus service throughout Hong Kong, Kowloon, and New Territories. MTR provides the underground rapid transit service throughout the three regions. In addition, MTR also provides feeder bus service in Tai Po District and in Northwestern New Territories, connecting passengers from railway stations to various housing estates, and a Light Rail service in the Yuen Long and Tuen Mun Districts, to serve the population growth of the two districts.
Fares
Fares are calculated on a distance basis in most transit companies. Two exceptions include Hong Kong Tramways and the MTR Light Rail. Hong Kong Tramways, which provides tram (streetcar in the North American world) service in Hong Kong Island, charge a flat fee of $2 ($1 for seniors/children) upon exiting. MTR Light Rail charges by zone (similar to VIVA in York Region), and as long as you stay in the same zone, you will be charged the respective fare in the zone.
Local bus fares usually range from about $3 to $6 (half of that for seniors and children), depending on the length of your travel. Cross-harbour fares from Hong Kong to Kowloon start at $9.30 for buses, and would gradually increase as the distance from the harbour increases.
MTR fares are generally more expensive than bus fares if you’re travelling local. The lowest possible fare is $3.60 ($1.80 for seniors and children), while cross-harbour fares start from only $7.70. However, the drawback of this is unless you are boarding from several stations from crossing the harbour, getting a seat is unlikely, whereas bus rides across the harbour will almost guarantee you a seat, and will also give you a view of the city and the tunnel.
Tips on “Reducing Your Fares”
1. 1. Buy an Octopus card. MTR fares are generally lower when you use the Octopus card, and free transfers are also available to specific bus routes when you use your Octopus card.
2. If you’re not in a rush and travelling local (meaning staying in one region), don’t ride routes with an X in the end, or ride a 7xx route. While those routes will get you to places faster, the fare is usually $2 more expensive.
3. If you really need some time to kill and you’re in the island, ride the tram for a few stops and experience some sights of Hong Kong. It would only cost you $2, and although they don’t have A/C, the upper deck is actually quite cool.
3. 4. Don’t ride any 1xx, 3xx, 6xx, or 9xx routes unless your intent is to cross the harbour. 99% of the time there is another route that serves your area which has a cheaper fare compared to the aforementioned routes. The base fare for a cross-harbour route in a local area is $5.10, compared to only $3 for a local route.
a. If you’re in Hong Kong Island and are west of Wan Chai, and your intended destination is east of Causeway Bay, ride the MTR. Vice versa also applies.
b. If you’re in Hong Kong Island and are west of Wan Chai, and your intended destination is west of Causeway Bay, ride the Citybus Route 5, 5B, or 10. None of these routes exceed $3.40 in fares. Vice versa also applies.
c. If you’re in Hong Kong Island and are east of Wan Chai, ride the New World First Bus Route 2 or 2A. Neither route exceeds $4.10 in fares.
d. If you’re in Kowloon, the KMB Routes 2 and 6 are your routes for quick local travel. Those routes and their branches cover about 90% of Kowloon.
4. 5. Try not to ride the bus after 12:00 AM. Fares are more expensive then, to cover the closing of the MTR and the expected increasing demand as a result of such closure.
Vocabulary
One way to “mix and mingle” well with natives is to understand their vocabulary. Two of the major ones that almost everyone knows are:
- “Doo doo”, which means the Octopus card
- “Ding ding”, which means the tram
Bus Depots
With a combined fleet of over 5000 buses, there are bound to be numerous bus depots scattered throughout Hong Kong. Here is a rundown of the depots in the major transit systems:
1. Citybus/New World First Bus
- Chai Wan Depot
- Kennedy Town Depot
- Wong Chuk Hang Depot
2. KMB
- Kowloon Bay Depot
- Lai Chi Kok Depot
- Sha Tin Depot
- Tuen Mun Depot
Railfanning
While railfanning in the MTR is considered exciting by most rail enthusiasts, there are some “hidden rules” while riding the MTR.
The major rule is that you are given 150 minutes to enter the paid area, travel, and exit the fare paid area. If you exceed 150 minutes, you would be charged the maximum fare possible, which would be roughly $50.
Platform screen doors, present in most stations, tend to be irritating when rail enthusiasts want to video trains coming in or exiting stations. Here is a list of stations that do not have platform screen doors:
1. Kwun Tong Line
- Kowloon Bay
- Kwun Tong
- Lam Tin
- Ngau Tau Kok
2. Island Line
- Chai Wan
- Heng Fa Chuen
3. Tsuen Wan Line
- Kwai Fong
- Kwai Hing
- Tsuen Wan
, and all stations on the East Rail Line. Sunny Bay Station is another possible station to fan on the Tung Chung and Disneyland Resort Lines, though video at the ends of the station to get a full view of the train.
When videoing trains in the above mentioned stations, do not stand over the yellow line, as you would trigger an announcement telling you to stand behind the yellow line.
Busfanning
Some locations that have an ample amount of bus activity include:
- Causeway Bay Moreton Terrace
- Chater Road and Pedder Street
- Connaught Road Central near Pedder Street
- Cross Harbour Tunnel Toll Plaza
- Gascoigne Road
- Hennessy Road and Yee Wo Street
- Mei Foo Station
- Nathan Road and Argyle Street/Prince Edward Road/Waterloo Road
- On Cheung Road and On Chee Road in Tai Po Central
- Queensway near Pacific Place
- Sha Tin Station
- Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road outside Tuen Mun Town Centre
Fleet numbers on KMB buses are located on the bottom left side of the windshield, where you would see a small fleet number on a red sticker. All other buses fleet numbers can easily be seen in the exterior of the bus.
If you’re fanning a MTR station terminal and are coming from a MTR station), one way to reduce your fare usage is to plan your trip ahead of time. "Station hopping" (going from one station to the next station) can result in a huge strain, especially if you're using single journey tickets. If you're planning to do consecutive stations, the best way to minimize fares would be to go to the farthest station first, then proceed from there.
Transitfanning is all about careful planning and execution, and Hong Kong is no exception, especially for the fact you are being charged distance fares, without any free transfers in most cases. The most I ever spent in a transitfanning trip was $50HKD, and I lived in Tuen Mun, which means $38HKD just to go from and back home. Choose routes wisely, research on fares beforehand, and I guarantee the fare issue won't be a burden in your budget. Hope you enjoy Hong Kong transitfanning if you ever visit this lovely city!
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