Hong Kong Mini Bus

Hong Kong mini bus, also called public light bus, reaches the areas that MTR and regular buses do not go. Mini buses in Hong Kong usually have 16 or 19 seats and they are red and green roofed with light yellow bodies. The green minibus (GMB) has fixed routes, schedule, service hours and ticket fare like regular buses while red mini bus (RMB) runs in a flexible manner.

There is no broadcast for the arrival station. To get off, passengers need to tell the driver or push the button in advance and the driver may answer by raising his hand. Since most drivers can’t speak English even Mandarin Chinese, you may inform the driver of your stop written on a card in advance.

Note:
When mini buses reach their capacity of 16 or 19 passengers, it will not stop unless there are passengers want to get off.
 

Green Mini Bus

Green mini buses serve as a commute between communities to MTR or public bus stations. They have set routes, service hours, schedules and fixed fare which are supervised by the government.

Passengers usually wait at fixed stations and pay the fare by Octopus Card or handing on exact cash to a money box when getting on. The rate chart in both Chinese and English is displayed on the front window.
 

There are now over 3,290 green minibuses running at 352 main routes and 183 supplementary routes. The following are some popular routes:
 

Starting Point: HK Station Public Transport Interchange behind MTR Hong Kong Station.
Ending Point: Public Transport Terminus of Victoria Peak.
Key Stops: City Hall; Guilford Road; Matilda & War Memorial Hospital; Victoria Peak.
Service Hours:
From Central: 06:30 to 23:59 on usual days; 07:52 to 24:25 on Sundays and Public Holidays;
From the Peak: 06:45 to 24:25 on usual days; 07:00 to 24:00 on Sundays and Public Holidays
Full Fare: HKD 10.2
 

Starting Point:in front of Capital Central at Jardine’s Bazaar.
Ending Point: Stanley Village
Key Stops: Morrison Hill Road (outside Happy Valley Racecourse); The Hong Kong Country Club, Island Road; Deep Water Bay, Island Road; Repulse Bay, Repulse Bay Road; Stanley Beach Road.
Service Hours: 06:00 - next 06:00, every 10-15 min;
Full Fare: HKD 10.8
 

Starting Point: Broadcast Drive, outside Block B, Alice Court.
Ending Point: GMB Terminus at Hung Luen Road, next to Ferry Pier.
Key Stops: Wang Tau Hom Central Road; No.88 Junction Road; Tin Kwong Road; Ma Tau Wai Road; Hung Hom.
Service Hours:
From Kowloon Tang: 07:25-22:30 on usual days; 08:20-22:30 on Sundays and Public Holidays;
From Hung Hom Ferry Pier: 06:55 to 22:00 on usual days; 07:50 to 22:00 on Sundays and Public Holidays
Full Fare: HKD 7.5
 

Starting Point: Tai Kok Tsui (Island Harbourview) Bus Terminus
Ending Point: Tsim Sha Tsui (Peking Road)
Key Stops: Harbour Green, Hoi Fu Court (Park Avenue), Charming Garden (PolyU HK Community College), the Gateway (China HK City)
Service Hours: 06:30 to 23:30 from Tai Kok Tsui; 06:30 to 23:00 from Tsim Sha Tsui
Full Fare: HKD 6.9
 

Starting Point: Hang Hau Bus Terminus
Ending Point: Wai Man Rd PLB Terminus (Sai Kung Pier)
Key Stops: Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Nam Bin Wai, Pak Sha Wan, Sai Kung Jockey Club Town Hall                                             
Service Hours: 05:30 to 00:55 from Hang Hau; 05:30 to next 01:15 from Sai Kung
Full Fare: HKD 9.7
 

There are over 1,000 red minibuses operating at almost every places of Hong Kong except some restricted zones. With relatively light regulation, the red minibuses do not have fixed routes except terminus, scheduled departure times, or fixed fares. The drivers may change routes to avoid traffic jams or pick up more passengers and the fare is calculate by the routes the drivers have taken or weather conditions. Passengers can flag down one and get off at non-forbidden zones. You need to call your stop and pay the fare in cash. But in fact, red mini buses may be not suitable for visitors unfamiliar with the routes.

In Hong Kong, there is a saying that no vehicle can overtake a red mini bus. Locals like red minibus because they are faster and convenient. The drivers may exceed the speed limit sometimes for their income depends on how many passengers they have taken and passengers may feel like taking a roller coaster through the city.

Further Reading
Hong Kong Bus
Hop on Hop off Buses in Hong Kong
Big Bus Hong Kong
Hong Kong Ding Ding Tram