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Van-sized public light buses carry a maximum of 16 passengers (seats only) and come in two varieties, namely red minibuses and green minibuses (also called maxicabs); the colour refers to a wide stripe painted on top of the vehicle. Riding a minibus may not be easy for travellers, as it is customary to call out the name of the stop or ask the driver to stop in Cantonese. Red minibuses do not accept Octopus but will give you change, while green minibuses do accept Octopus payment but can not give you change if you pay in cash. The Hong Kong Island green minibus #1 down from the Peak to Central is particularly exhilarating. Red minibuses tend to have a more Chinese feel than green buses. Prices on red minibuses are often displayed only in Chinese numbers. The price displayed on a red minibus can legally vary according to the market price, so expect to pay more at busy times. Some people argue that the driving standards of red minibuses is lower than green minibuses; Minibus drivers generally drive fast, especially at night. Always use minibus seatbelts where available. You will notice that they all have an extra, large, digital speedometer in the cabin for the passengers to view, this is required by the government after a few fatal accidents due to speeding. Since the introduction of these passenger speedometers mini - bus accident rates have dropped.
Kowloon Canton Railway also maintains its fleet of KCR feeder buses . KCR passengers can enjoy a free feeder service if the payment is made by Octopus. The route K16 is especially useful for tourists who need to go to Tsim Sha Tsui from the New Territories and mainland China by rail.
Note that if paying in cash, the exact fare is required and no change can be given. Paying by Octopus is much more convenient.
Route numbering is independent in six regions: bus on Hong Kong Island/ in Kowloon and in New Territories/ on Lantau Island, green minibus on Hong Kong Island/ in Kowloon/ in New Territories and several exceptional auxiliary buses route (red minibuses does not have a route number). This leads to duplication of routes in different regions. Although the Transport Department of Hong Kong Government has been working on the unifying of the route numbers, it is still a little bit messy at the moment. If you are confused a bit by the numbering of routes, here is a suggestion: just remember the route number of buses in Hong Kong Island/Kowloon/New Territories only whenever it is necessary. In other special circumstances, ask the driver or the station staffs for the Lantau buses and green minibuses and they can answer you.
Generally you need not to mention which district the route belongs to when you are asking for directions (almost all people will assume you will asking for the route which runs in the district you are in, e.g. if you ask for bus route #2, locals will assume you will asking for bus route #2 running in Kowloon if you are in Kowloon), but you really need to mention whether the route is bus or minibus when you ask, since in some cases both bus and minibus can have same route number in the same area which are actually different routes. (e.g. there are both bus route #6 and minibus route #6 in Tsim Sha Tsui, which are actually different routes).
If you are curious enough, you may discover a pattern on the allocation of buses in Hong Kong/Kowloon/NT:
* Prefix 1 on hundred digit: routes use Cross Harbour Tunnel.
* Prefix 2 on hundred digit: refers to some air - conditioned bus routes.
* Prefix 3 on hundred digit: refers to several peak - hour only cross - harbour routes, Hong Kong Island recreational or special bus services.
* Prefix 6 on hundred digit: uses Eastern Harbour Crossing.
* Prefix 7 on hundred digit: refers to some Island Eastern Corridor routes, New World First Bus West Kowloon or Tseung Kwan O routes.
* Prefix 8 on hundred digit: refers to specialized Shatin Racecourse lines.
* Prefix 9 on hundred digit: uses Western Harbour Crossing.
* Prefix A: Airport Airbus routes.
* Prefix E: North Lantau external bus routes.
* Prefix K: KCR Feeder Bus routes.
* Prefix M: Some bus routes that are terminated at Airport Express station.
* Prefix N: Overnight bus routes.
* Prefix P: North Lantau peak - hour only routes.
* Prefix R: North Lantau recreational bus routes (for Hong Kong Disneyland).
* Prefix S: Airport shuttle bus routes.
* Prefix T: Recreational bus routes (T stands for tourists).
* Prefix X: Express routes for special services.
* Suffix A, B, C, D, E, F: Conventional routes.
* Suffix K: Mainly connecting to KCR East Rail stations.
* Suffix M: Mainly connecting to MTR stations.
* Suffix P: Mostly peak - hour only routes.
* Suffix R: Recreational bus routes.
* Suffix S: Peak - hour only routes or special services.
* Suffix X: Buses using highways or express services.
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