My Hong Kong | Hong Kong’s red minibuses take you for a no-frills trip on the wild side, so maybe we shouldn’t try to reform their drivers
- Hong Kong’s red minibuses are the city’s untamed transport option, fast, cheap and convenient
- Speed limits and customer service are ignored, but Hongkongers wouldn’t have it any other way
Alongside trams and the MTR subway system, minibuses are a mode of transport that remain iconic to the city of Hong Kong.
If you’ve lived in Hong Kong long enough, you will have boarded one of these, as they can get you just about anywhere for a fraction of the cost of a cab – and probably just as fast.
But if you have ridden these buses, you will also know the differences between the green-topped minibuses and the red-topped ones.
The green minibuses are regulated, meaning they have strict routes and operating times, as well as fixed fares and bus stops. In contrast, red minibuses tend to be privately owned so they set their own routes and fares. Their drivers are also notoriously rude to passengers because, well, they can be.
To reverse the “Wild West” reputation of red minibuses in Hong Kong, a Hong Kong university graduate has voiced his ambitions for rejuvenating this subsector of Hong Kong’s transport system.
