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.
