News - July 2022

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	*July 2022* *- News*
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Earlier this month, New Lantao Bus registered a pair of BYD K9RB ebus single-deckers, which had been in Hong Kong for over a year. Pictured above are (left to right) BE03 (YB8621), BE04 (YC429) and BE01 (VJ7769).

I plan to add a new page to the XTRA section of the site as soon as time allows.

31st July 2022

Bournemouth's Yellow Buses has gone into administration.

The bus company, which is in its 120th year, has been handed over to Milsted Langdon LLP, a statement by the accountants said.

A loss of revenue, rising fuel prices and the general rise in inflation have all been blamed as factors for the decision.

In a joint statement, Simon Rowe and Rachel Hotham of Milsted and Langdon LLP said: “We recognise that many people rely on the Yellow Bus network for all sorts of aspects of their daily lives and that for them and the 300 staff employed by the business this is an unsettling time. We can recognise this and want to reassure everyone that we and our team are doing all we can to ensure that the business continues to operate as normal as possible under the circumstances and continues to do so into the future.”

Yellow Buses, which trades as Bournemouth Transport Limited, has been struggling like all bus companies thanks to the “challenges” of COVID and the lifestyle habit changes which have followed – such as people working from home.

The directors of the business have “for some time” been looking for outside investment or buyers for Yellow Buses. The statement added: “Negotiations with a large national operator have entered the final stages and we hope to be able to conclude within a matter of days

“With its long history in the local area and its integral role within the community we appreciate that there will be a great number of people concerned about this news, what we would ask is that the community shows its support by using the services".

I have included the above news for two reasons. Firstly, Yellow Buses (formerly Bournemouth Corporation Transport (BCT)) is one of my local bus operators, alongside Wilts & Dorset (More), and secondly, because it was six of these yellow buses, or to be more precise Daimler Fleetlines, that Citybus purchased in 1979, which were part of the BCT fleet and which, I believe, lead to Citybus carrying a predominantly yellow livery.

29th July 2022

My thanks to 'Freddie' for providing information on the above model. This Kowloon Motor Bus Wrights Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TL is currently available for pre-order (pre-order finishes on 27th July at 12.00 (HK time)). It carries all-over advertising for Anson LoHonting and is a collaboration between KMB and the Anson LoHonting Fan Club. It appears that the quantity will be confirmed once pre-orders have ended. The registration is formed of Anson's initials and birthday (7th July 1995), however all other elements are real and a bus did carry this livery and destination on on 7th July many KMB buses showed this on the destination board.

The model is part of a larger “giving day” where the fan club organised various charitable events including sponsoring free rides on KMB for seniors and for all citizens on the Star Ferry.

The model is selling for HK$770 with proceeds going to charity. The model can be ordered in Hong Kong and also internationally with various links depending on country of delivery. The following link will take you to an ordering page within Facebook - if you scroll to the bottom of the text and select 'See translation' - this may help!

24th July 2022

The following three models have been released in Hong Kong today.

Kowloon Motor Bus 10.6 metre Wright StreetDeck W6S1 (WJ1984) on route 5 to Fu Shan and limited to 900 pieces (KMB2021110).

Kowloon Motor Bus 10.6 metre Wright StreetDeck W6S1 (WJ1984) on route 88 to Tai Wan Station and limited to 900 pieces (KMB2021111).

Kowloon Motor Bus 12.8 metre MCV EvoSeti bodied Volvo B8L V6X94 (XH199) on route 89D to Lam Tin Station and limited to 650 pieces (KMB2021224). It carries KMB 89th anniversary livery.

23rd July 2022

Following the news below of the imminent release of the Kowloon Motor Bus 89th Anniversary model, here is the real thing on the same route and with the same destination as the model - a larger image has been added to the model page (KMB2021224). The quantity of the model has been confirmed as being 650 pieces.

22nd July 2022

Following the recent appearance of former Citybus Van Hool Alizée bodied Volvo B10M at the Alton Bus Rally and Running Day, I have now created a new page in the XTRA section of the site - just click on the above image.

As reported below (see 16th July), KMB's first, and so far only, 12.8 metre Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B8L has received the fleet number V6X111 (YC1544), and is seen here on route 960.

21st July 2022

This 12.8 metre Kowloon Motor Bus MCV EvoSeti bodied Volvo B8L with KMB anniversary livery is expected to be released shortly. It features V6X94 (XH199) on route 89D with a destination of Lam Tin Station (KMB2021224).

Also, two versions of KMB's sole Wright StreetDeck (W6S1 - WJ1984) are to be released, one on route 5 and the other on route 88.

20th July 2022

Making its debut after two years of restoration work, and looking immaculate, is Dave Roger's former Citybus Van Hool Alizée bodied Volvo B10M 1273, which is pictured at the Alton Bus Rally today. Further photographs have been included below, thanks to Dave Rogers and Grant Stallard.

Citybus registered eight 12 metre ADL 'facelift' Enviro500 buses on 13th July (8558-8565) and today saw several of these operating on new route 50M, which was launched today. This new route is a circular service connecting northern and central Tuen Mun. Routes 50, 55 and 56 will be launched tomorrow as peak only routes providing direct services between Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon East and North District, and Tuen Mun.

17th July 2022

I have been made aware of the above resin model that has not previously been recorded in my lists. It is a second version of the P&T Model Kowloon Motor Bus Bedford OB, released back in 2006, and features 4595 on route 18 with a destination that reads Un Long - Sha Tau Kok. Further photographs, thanks to 'model-buses', have now been added to the appropriate page (B0018).

I make no apologies for posting 'real' bus news in the absence of any model news and in this respect Kowloon Motor Bus registered five new 12.8 metre Volvo B8Ls yesterday, namely V6X111 - V6X115. Interestingly, this batch of fleet numbers has previously been allocated to 12.8 Volvo B8Ls with MCV EvoSeti bodies, however, V6X111 carries a Wrights Gemini 3 body, with the other four having MCV bodies. The above photograph from last week appears to show V6X111 flanked on both sides by red and orange EvoSetis.

This Gemilang Intercity bodied MAN RR8 was first registered back in December 2021 and carried the latest New Lantao Bus livery, however today was its first day in service, operating Residents Service NR93, which runs between Fairview Park and On Shun Street in Yuen Long. This service is operated by Kwoon Chung Motors

Some daytime shots of the new 12.8 metre Kowloon Motor Bus Gemilang bodied MAN A95 have been received and these have now been added to the appropriate XTRA page.

16th July 2022

A new page has just been added to the XTRA section of the site for the new Kowloon Motor Bus MAN A95 - just click on the above image.

13th July 2022

Citybus and New World First Bus merger plan approved by Executive Council

The Executive Council on Tuesday approved bus giant Bravo Transport to merge its subsidiaries Citybus and New World First Bus under one franchise, with the merger lasting for 10 years before a reapplication is necessary.

The new franchise will be named Citybus Limited and will run from July next year until 2033.

A government spokesperson noted in a statement that the merger will not result in any fare changes for existing routes.

The statement pointed out that the two existing franchises’ service areas are largely overlapping, and the merger will “facilitate continuous improvement and rationalization of the franchised bus network on Hong Kong Island.”

It added that the move will enable the bus company to deploy its resources more flexibly to enhance existing services or introduce new services and provide more comprehensive public transport ancillary facilities to keep up with the times.

The owner of the two bus companies, Bravo Transport, said the merger will open a new chapter in the SAR’s public transport industry and will provide a bus network covering the whole of Hong Kong.

Separately, the council also granted two new 10-year franchises to Long Win Bus Company Limited and Citybus Limited, both of which will begin upon the expiry of their current franchises on May 1, 2023, and run until May 1, 2033.

The above report appears in today's Hong Kong 'The Standard' - just follow this link.

Announced today on the 80M Bus Model Shop Facebook page is this bare metal Salvador Caetano bodied Scania K230UB (CR228003). It is limited to 250 pieces.

Three of the new 12.8 metre Kowloon Motor Bus MAN A95 entered service today and were noted operating express routes 58X, 59X and 60X - M6EX1 (YC378) is pictured above M6FX1 (YB9150) whilst M6FX2 (YB9906) is on route 59X. All seven have now been registered, as confirmed by the Across website.

12th July 2022

I am grateful to Thomas Cheung for drawing my attention to the hkbus.fandom page which gives details of why two different fleet number prefixes are being used for the new Kowloon Motor Bus 12.8 metre Gemilang bodied MAN A95 mentioned in yesterday's news. M6EX1, classified as a MAN A95 ND363 features a 360HP engine whilst M6FX1-6, classified as a MAN A95 ND323 feature the smaller 320HP engine. Pictured above are a number of these new buses intermingled with a MCV EvoSeti bodied Volvo B8L for Long Win Bus.

Also registered yesterday was the 250th 12.8 metre ADL 'facelift' Enviro500 for Kowloon Motor Bus - E6X250 (YB7699) was seen earlier today on route 260X.

9th July 2022

Kowloon Motor Bus has today registered two new 12.8 metre Gemilang bodied MAN A95. Interestingly one is allocated the fleet number M6EX1 (YC378) whilst the second has been allocated the fleet number M6FX1 (YB9150).

8th July 2022

Full sets of photographs have now been received from 80M Bus Model Shop for the four recently released Kowloon Motor Bus models. Just click on an image to be taken to the relevant model page.

6th July 2022

A photograph of a model in it's box - nothing special about that I hear you say!!! Well, I have doubted the existence of this model for some time and I am grateful to eBay seller 'model-buses' for confirming it's existence and for allowing me to post photographs. This resin 11 metre Kowloon Motor Bus liveried Alexander bodied Leyland Olympian was released by Bus Factory back in November 2011 (10302) - a second version identical to this was released in September 2012 (10302A).

This Bus Factory resin model featuring Kowloon Motor Bus Dennis Lance AN7 was issued in April 2012 and was limited to just 25 models (10504). Further photographs have now been added.

Please note I am in no way connected to this eBay seller, just grateful to him for providing useful information and photographs.

5th July 2022

The Hong Kong Palace Museum opened yesterday and at least three KMB Enviro500 buses have received all-over advertising promoting the new museum. In the top photograph, ATENU150 is pictured on the left and ATENU1484 on the right with ATENU554 displayed in the bottom photograph. The opening was in fact delayed from the 2nd July owing to a typhoon warning.

Continuing the museum theme, the following is an extract from a Time Out article:- "To celebrate HKSAR's 25th anniversary and promote the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District, the West Kowloon Artour is a free circular bus route that will take the public through various areas of West Kowloon and Sham Shui Po. Available every Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday between 2pm to 6pm in July, August, November, December and on January 1, 2023, the bus tour will depart from M+ museum, and stop off at D2 Place, Jao Tsung-I Academy, Mei Ho House, and Nam Cheong Street, before heading back to M+ museum. A great weekend activity to explore different areas of Kowloon".

Captured yesterday and pictured above is Citybus Enviro500 8219, part of the non-franchised fleet.

Citybus 8910 was noted yesterday undergoing testing on Kowloon side, believed to be for routes 22M, 20 and 20A.

4th July 2022

Believed to now be on general release are the four Kowloon Motor Bus models first announced on 26th June.

The first two feature Gemilang bodied Volvo B9TLs. AVG3 (VT4112) is on route 61M with a destination of Lai King (North) and is limited to 950 pieces (KMB2021222). The second features an unregistered example, with a destination showing a test screen, and this is limited to 700 pieces (KMB2021223).

The last two feature MCV bodied Volvo B7RLEs, both in the driver training fleet. First is AVC16 (PG2693), which is limited to 700 pieces (KMB2021221) and the second features AVC1 (PE5313) with is limited to 500 pieces (KMB2022012).

I am grateful to the Facebook page Behold Our Outstanding Buses Singapore for allowing me to share the top photograph and to Wei Shen for providing the following text and for sending me a selection of photographs taken today at the launch event of a Volvo B8L. This sole unit in Singapore used to ply the roads as a public bus before being sold to private operator A&S Transit.

In a handover ceremony held at Raffles Boulevard Coach Park (formerly Marina Centre Bus Terminal) today (3 July 2022), private bus operator A&S Transit formally acquired the Volvo B8L from Volvo second-hand. Dubbed the "People Mover Deluxe", it bears a new registration - PD169L. This bus, the sole unit in Singapore, was previously registered SG4003D and leased to SBS Transit, operating on routes including Services 71 and 94 during its 2 year trial, which ended in April 2020.

3rd July 2022

My thanks to eBay seller 'model-buses' for allowing me to use the above photograph, which at long last confirms the name of the manufacturer of the two resin Arakawa bodied Toyota Coaster models in Kowloon Motor Bus livery which I believe were released in late 2002. The Collector page can be found here.

2nd July 2022

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the reunification of Hong Kong with China and pictured above are four Corgi models that carried the reunification message. (This update has been uploaded slightly early for those in the western hemisphere!).

1st July 2022

	*July 2022* *- News*
Previous month's News	To find a specific month's News, click here	Next month's News

[diecast models] - [information] - [links] - [news] - [plastic models] - [resin models] - [trams] - [xtra]

Page last updated Sunday, 31st July 2022