KMB Route 1
Encyclopedia
Kowloon Motor Bus
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited , a company of the Transport International Holdings Limited, is the largest franchised bus operators in Hong Kong, and one of the largest privately owned public bus operators in the world...
and connects Star Ferry
Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier
Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier is a pier located on reclaimed land at the southernmost tip of Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. It is commonly known as Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui. Star Ferry operates the pedestrian ferry service across Victoria Harbour to Wan Chai and to Central on...
and Chuk Yuen Estate
Chuk Yuen Estate
Chuk Yuen Estate is a public housing estate in Kowloon, Hong Kong, located north of Wong Tai Sin and underneath Lion Rock. Its site was formerly the Chuk Yuen Resettlement Area....
in Wong Tai Sin
Wong Tai Sin, Hong Kong
Wong Tai Sin is an area in Wong Tai Sin District, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area was named after the Wong Tai Sin Temple.Wong Tai Sin is surrounded by northeast Tsz Wan Shan, east Diamond Hill, south San Po Kong, south west Tung Tau and west Wang Tai Hom...
. The bus via Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
, Yau Ma Tei
Yau Ma Tei
Yau Ma Tei, also known as Waterloo , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.-Name:Yau Ma Tei is a phonetic transliteration of the name 油麻地 in Cantonese...
, Mong Kok
Mong Kok
Mong Kok , less often known as Argyle , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong...
, Kowloon City
Kowloon City
Kowloon City is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is named after the Kowloon Walled City, and is administratively part of Kowloon City District....
and Lok Fu
Lok Fu
Lok Fu is a place in Wong Tai Sin District, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is located at the east of Kowloon Tong, the west of Wong Tai Sin and the north of Kowloon City. It geographically includes nearby Wang Tau Hom.It was named as Lo Fu Ngam...
.
Major milestones in the service history
The route was started in the 1920s, then known as route 6. The route served between Tsim Sha TsuiTsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
and Kowloon City
Kowloon City
Kowloon City is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is named after the Kowloon Walled City, and is administratively part of Kowloon City District....
. Fares were divided into first and second classes at that time.
The route ceased operation during the Battle of Hong Kong
Battle of Hong Kong
The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on 25 December 1941 with Hong Kong, then a Crown colony, surrendering to the Empire of Japan.-Background:...
in December of 1941 and resumed January 10, 1942 as the Japanese military government in Hong Kong reorganized the bus services.
The route was renumbered route 1 in October, 1942.
August 12, 1943, the route was shortened to serve between Tsim Sha Tsui and Waterloo Road due to shortage of fuel.
After the Japanese occupation
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
this route was only bus route remaining in service in Kowloon at the end of the occupation..
In mid-February, 1946 KMB resumed the route.
The first four double decker buses in Hong Kong were allocated April 17, 1949 to the route as the population in Yau Ma Tei
Yau Ma Tei
Yau Ma Tei, also known as Waterloo , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.-Name:Yau Ma Tei is a phonetic transliteration of the name 油麻地 in Cantonese...
, Mong Kok
Mong Kok
Mong Kok , less often known as Argyle , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong...
, Kowloon City
Kowloon City
Kowloon City is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is named after the Kowloon Walled City, and is administratively part of Kowloon City District....
increased rapidly.
The route was one of only few routes still in service in Kowloon during the 1967 riots.
In 1972 the route was extended to Wang Tau Hom
Wang Tau Hom
Wang Tau Hom is an area in mid-north New Kowloon of Hong Kong. A public housing estate, Wang Tau Hom Estate, erects in the area.Usually, Wang Tau Hom is regarded as part of Lok Fu due to the nearby MTR station....
to serve the newly developed areas.
And in 1976 the route was extended to Lok Fu
Lok Fu
Lok Fu is a place in Wong Tai Sin District, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is located at the east of Kowloon Tong, the west of Wong Tai Sin and the north of Kowloon City. It geographically includes nearby Wang Tau Hom.It was named as Lo Fu Ngam...
to serve the newly developed areas.
In 1984 the route was further extended to Chuk Yuen Estate
Chuk Yuen
Chuk Yuen or Chuk Un was a village and an area in New Kowloon of Hong Kong. The area is approximately present-day Wong Tai Sin. The name now also refers to two public housing estates, Chuk Yuen North and Chuk Yuen South Estates....
, its current terminus.
As the population in Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok, Kowloon City, which are in the centre of Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula
The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon....
, has increased steadily since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, buses on this route are often full, and becomes one of major bus routes in Kowloon.
Fleet
Single decker buses were used before WWII, and double deckers joined the route from 1949. Air conditioned services started from 3 August 1992, and since 2003, more and more Alexander Dennis Enviro500 buses have been deployed in the route. The route is currently operated with 18 double decker buses in which 16 are air conditioned, and some Leyland OlympianLeyland Olympian
The Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
buses which are non-air conditioned.