Overlapping bus and minibus routes : implications on public transport management and planning for growth areas in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study reviews the two pairs of overlapping bus and minibus routes which share common origins, destinations and major catchments. The main catchments of these routes, Sha Tau Kok Road and Ting Kok Road, are areas with growth in population and transport demand.

By comparing the real situation and hypothetical scenarios of public transport service provision, the cost effectiveness, traffic impact and environmental impact of the existing arrangements and exclusive operation by buses or minibuses are evaluated. A questionnaire survey involving 234 passengers using the routes was conducted to explore their modal preferences between buses and minibuses, the major determinants of their public transport choices, their views on the service qualities of buses and minibuses, and their stances on rearranging the overlapping services. The practical feasibility of rationalizing public transport services under socio-political pressure is also examined with reference to the recent cases.

Exclusive operation of buses is the most cost effective, and produces the least amount of negative environmental impact. Moreover, buses provide punctual service which is valued by passengers. On the other hand, although minibuses are less cost effective and less environmentally friendly than buses, they are welcome by passengers because of their shorter journey time and higher frequency. Terminating the minibus services would not impose significant improvement on the traffic flow. Furthermore, any proposals to cancel either service would be subjected to strong pressure from the locals, rendering such proposals hard to be materialized.

The inefficient coexistence of overlapping bus and minibus routes is a result of purposive decisions of passengers, the minibus operators, the bus operator and the government in a society with high value on time, low awareness on environmental sustainability, high respect for legal stipulations, and limited government power. Although withdrawal of minibus services to let buses exclusively operate would maximize cost effectiveness and minimize the environmental harm, it would trigger strong resistance from local politicians, social media and the minibus operators affected, which would render the task difficult to accomplish. Therefore, exclusive operation is only possible for cases with no existing regular public transport services or with only a bus route serving the catchment.

For a growth area where transport demand to an outer destination is already served by an existing minibus route or a pair of overlapping bus and minibus routes, parallel operations of bus and minibus services are realistic measures to cope with the increasing demand. Instead of putting exclusive bus operation forward, alternative measures, such as enhanced monitoring of the bus services’ regularity, operating limited-stop bus services and direct bus services to business centres during the peak hours, allocating single-decker buses as part of the fleet of the routes, increasing the permitted maximum seating capacity of each minibus, encouraging the operators to renew their fleet with models using cleaner power, should be adopted to improve the overall utilization of both modes and minimizing the overall negative environmental impact.