NWFB Route 13
Encyclopedia
NWFB Route 13 on Hong Kong Island
is a bus service operated by New World First Bus
(NWFB), between City Hall
, Central
and Kotewall Road
, Mid Levels.
(CMB) on 1974-04-16, when the first bus lane
in Hong Kong
, the one along westbound Caine Road
, came into operation. The fare at that time was 50 cents, without child fare concession or section fare arrangements. At that time, the main bus fleet on the line was Guy Arab Mk V (LX class). After CMB converted routes 260, 261 and 262 into full air-conditioned services in 1991, the MCW Metrobus
coaches used on these routes were transferred to route 13.
The route was handed over to the current operator NWFB on 1998-09-01, when the franchise for CMB to operate bus services ended. On 1998-09-13 route 13 became a full air-conditioned service. Later NWFB introduced Dennis Trident 10.3m
buses (33XX) on the route. After the Star Ferry Pier moved from Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier
to the new Central Piers
, the Central terminus of the route did not move to the new terminus there; it stayed where it was, only with a change of the name to Central (City Hall).
The route and the location of the termini for route has never been permanently changed since its inauguration, making it the bus service in Hong Kong with the route sustained for the longest period of time.
as a reason. When CMB planned to operate a new service between Star Ferry Pier and Kotewall Road, the decision to use the number 13 caused controversy within the upper levels of the company. Eventually, the director of CMB, Ngan Shing Kwan, who was a Christian
, announced on a newspaper that he does not believe the unluckiness of the number 13, and decided that the number will be used on the new route.
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
is a bus service operated by New World First Bus
New World First Bus
New World First Bus Services Limited , abbreviated as First Bus and "NWFB", is the third largest public bus operator in Hong Kong.NWFB was established in 1998, taking over China Motor Bus's franchise on 1 September 1998 to provide bus services on Hong Kong Island together with Citybus...
(NWFB), between City Hall
City Hall, Hong Kong
The Hong Kong City Hall is a building located at Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.Since Hong Kong does not designate itself or any part of itself as a city, there is no mayor or city council; therefore, the City Hall does not hold the offices of a city government, unlike most...
, Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
and Kotewall Road
Kotewall Road
Kotewall Road, , is a road in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island. Located between Po Shan Road and Robinson Road.- The name :Sir Robert Hormus Kotewall was a prominent businessman. In 1913, he was named Clerk to the Magistracy and JP. By 1919, Dr Kotewall was in trade as the manager of the Hong Kong...
, Mid Levels.
History
Route 13 service was started by China Motor BusChina Motor Bus
China Motor Bus Company Ltd. , often abbreviated as CMB, was the first motor bus company in Hong Kong, and was responsible for the introduction of double-decker buses to Hong Kong Island....
(CMB) on 1974-04-16, when the first bus lane
Bus lane
A bus lane or bus only lane is a lane restricted to buses, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, the one along westbound Caine Road
Caine Road
Caine Road is a main road in Hong Kong connecting Bonham Road in the west and Arbuthnot Road and Upper Albert Road in the east ....
, came into operation. The fare at that time was 50 cents, without child fare concession or section fare arrangements. At that time, the main bus fleet on the line was Guy Arab Mk V (LX class). After CMB converted routes 260, 261 and 262 into full air-conditioned services in 1991, the MCW Metrobus
MCW Metrobus
The MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...
coaches used on these routes were transferred to route 13.
The route was handed over to the current operator NWFB on 1998-09-01, when the franchise for CMB to operate bus services ended. On 1998-09-13 route 13 became a full air-conditioned service. Later NWFB introduced Dennis Trident 10.3m
Dennis Trident 3
Dennis Trident 3 is the first low floor double-decker bus chassis built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, with a large number purchased by bus companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States and Canada.-Design:...
buses (33XX) on the route. After the Star Ferry Pier moved from Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier
Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier
Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier, often referred to as the "Star Ferry" Pier, was a pier in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong; the pier, with its clock tower, was a prominent waterfront landmark...
to the new Central Piers
Central Piers
The Central Piers are situated on the northeast part of Central, Hong Kong Island. The ferries mostly depart to Outlying Islands in the New Territories, with the exception of Pier 1 serving as a government pier, and ferries from Piers 7, 8 going to Kowloon.-Ferry Services:The destinations of the...
, the Central terminus of the route did not move to the new terminus there; it stayed where it was, only with a change of the name to Central (City Hall).
The route and the location of the termini for route has never been permanently changed since its inauguration, making it the bus service in Hong Kong with the route sustained for the longest period of time.
Numbering
Until the 1970s, new CMB routes were numbered in consecutive order. Route 12 was opened in 1955 and route 14 in 1960, but CMB initially skipped the number 13, citing the superstitious belief that 13 is an unlucky numberTriskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number ; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.The term was first used by Isador Coriat in Abnormal...
as a reason. When CMB planned to operate a new service between Star Ferry Pier and Kotewall Road, the decision to use the number 13 caused controversy within the upper levels of the company. Eventually, the director of CMB, Ngan Shing Kwan, who was a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, announced on a newspaper that he does not believe the unluckiness of the number 13, and decided that the number will be used on the new route.
Central (City Hall) towards Kotewall Road
The route length from City Hall towards Kotewall Road is 5.3 km in a time of 35 minutes, using (in order):- Edinburgh PlaceEdinburgh PlaceEdinburgh Place is a public square in Central, Hong Kong, adjacent to the Victoria Harbour. The Hong Kong City Hall is located in the square. In addition, the Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier and Queen's Pier were also located in the square before they were demolished in early 2007.-History:The...
- Queen's Road CentralQueen's RoadQueen's Road is the first road in Hong Kong built by the Government of Hong Kong between 1841 and 1843, spanning across Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui to Wan Chai...
- D'Aguilar StreetD'Aguilar StreetD'Aguilar Street is a street in Central, Hong Kong. It is an L-shaped street starting from Queen's Road Central, at Entertainment Building. It runs uphill and meets various featured streets Stanley Street, Wellington Street, Wo On Lane and Lan Kwai Fong in the area...
- Lyndhurst TerraceLyndhurst TerraceLyndhurst Terrace is a street in the Central area of Hong Kong. Built on a slope in southern Central district, the terrace links Hollywood Road and Wellington Street. In the middle it meets Gage Street and Cochrane Street, and also the Central-Mid-Levels escalators.-Name:The terrace was named...
- Hollywood RoadHollywood RoadHollywood Road is a street in Central and Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.Hollywood Road is filled with trinket and antique shops of all sorts: from Chinese furniture to porcelain ware, from Buddha sculptures to Tibetan rugs, from Japanese netsukes to Coromandel screens, from Ming...
- Arbuthnot RoadArbuthnot RoadArbuthnot Road is a thoroughfare in Hong Kong's Central District. The road begins at the site of the former colony's first official home of the British justice, the Central Magistracy. The Central Magistracy, located at No. 1 Arbuthnot Road, is a declared monument of Hong Kong...
- Caine RoadCaine RoadCaine Road is a main road in Hong Kong connecting Bonham Road in the west and Arbuthnot Road and Upper Albert Road in the east ....
- Bonham RoadBonham RoadBonham Road is a road in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The road is a main road connecting Pokfulam Road in the west, near the University of Hong Kong, and Caine Road in the east, at the junction with Hospital Road and Seymour Road...
- Park RoadPark Road, Hong KongPark Road, is a road in Hong Kong Island, near in between Robinson Road, Hong Kong in Mid-levels and Bonham Road in Sai Ying Pun. Nearby there are some luxury residential buildings including 1 Park Road, Euston Court, Parkway Court, Kingsland Court, Parksdale, Breezy Court....
- Lyttelton Road
- Oaklands Avenue
- Kotewall RoadKotewall RoadKotewall Road, , is a road in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island. Located between Po Shan Road and Robinson Road.- The name :Sir Robert Hormus Kotewall was a prominent businessman. In 1913, he was named Clerk to the Magistracy and JP. By 1919, Dr Kotewall was in trade as the manager of the Hong Kong...
Kotewall Road towards Central (City Hall)
The route length from Kotewall Road towards City Hall is 3.7 km in a time of 30 minutes, using (in order):- Kotewall RoadKotewall RoadKotewall Road, , is a road in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island. Located between Po Shan Road and Robinson Road.- The name :Sir Robert Hormus Kotewall was a prominent businessman. In 1913, he was named Clerk to the Magistracy and JP. By 1919, Dr Kotewall was in trade as the manager of the Hong Kong...
- Oaklands Avenue
- Lyttelton Road
- Park RoadPark Road, Hong KongPark Road, is a road in Hong Kong Island, near in between Robinson Road, Hong Kong in Mid-levels and Bonham Road in Sai Ying Pun. Nearby there are some luxury residential buildings including 1 Park Road, Euston Court, Parkway Court, Kingsland Court, Parksdale, Breezy Court....
- Robinson RoadRobinson Road, Hong KongRobinson Road is a 2-lane, bi-directional road on the Mid-levels, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. In the east, it is connected with the Magazine Gap Road and Garden Road, and in the west with Babington Road and Park Road, Robinson Road is quite long. With Central-Mid-Levels escalator, it also...
- Castle Road
- Caine RoadCaine RoadCaine Road is a main road in Hong Kong connecting Bonham Road in the west and Arbuthnot Road and Upper Albert Road in the east ....
- Arbuthnot RoadArbuthnot RoadArbuthnot Road is a thoroughfare in Hong Kong's Central District. The road begins at the site of the former colony's first official home of the British justice, the Central Magistracy. The Central Magistracy, located at No. 1 Arbuthnot Road, is a declared monument of Hong Kong...
- Wyndham StreetWyndham StreetWyndham Street is a one-way street in Central, Hong Kong. It is one of the earliest colonial streets, once known as Pedder Hill.It starts at the junction with Hollywood Road and Arbuthnot Road, near the Central Police Station, and heads downhill to terminate at Queen's Road Central, near the...
- Ice House StreetIce House StreetIce House Street is a street in Central on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The street starts from Lower Albert Road on a hill slope and runs downhill across Queen's Road Central, Des Voeux Road Central, Chater Road and ends in Connaught Road Central....
- Queen's Road CentralQueen's RoadQueen's Road is the first road in Hong Kong built by the Government of Hong Kong between 1841 and 1843, spanning across Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui to Wan Chai...
- Pedder StreetPedder StreetPedder Street is a major thoroughfare in the core of Hong Kong’s Central District. It runs south-north from Queen's Road Central, continues through Des Voeux Road Central, and ends at its intersection with Connaught Road Central.-History:...
- Connaught Road Central
- Edinburgh PlaceEdinburgh PlaceEdinburgh Place is a public square in Central, Hong Kong, adjacent to the Victoria Harbour. The Hong Kong City Hall is located in the square. In addition, the Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier and Queen's Pier were also located in the square before they were demolished in early 2007.-History:The...