Two companions specializing in restoring old buses in Hong Kong find themselves compelled to discard their HK$1 million initiative aimed at bringing back a historic double-decker.
Terrence, together with his blacksmith companion Chung, who is employed in the automobile sector, had wished to refurbish an old China Motor Bus Company (CMB) vehicle at their workshop located in the northwestern part of the New Territories.
The former owner purchased it from a junkyard when it was decommissioned by New World First Bus approximately 20 years back — we acquired it in 2019," Terrence, who provided only his first name, mentioned to HKFP earlier this week. "The engine and transmission are still functional, but the chassis is severely deteriorated.
It's unfortunate, but unavoidable - I have to cut down on hobby-related costs as I grow older. Additionally, we must conserve our resources for bus restoration projects.
In a Facebook post They stated that "the bus will be considered for recycling if no one shows interest by the end of this month."
Transport revolution
In the 1960s, CMB enhanced its collection of vehicles by adding the Guy Arab, a contemporary model manufactured in Wolverhampton, England.
As per Terrence, a regional firm upgraded part of the fleet from single-level to two-story designs. These vehicles were subsequently put into service to address the increasing number of residents in the city.
CMB was the pioneer in bringing double-decker buses to Hong Kong. Nevertheless, its bus services ceased operation in 1998, and it shifted to property development.
The bus company was acquired by New World First Bus.
The New World First Bus placed the Guy Arab under consideration for the task of conveying tree-felling employees throughout the city. For as long as it remained in service until 1998, personnel utilized its open platform to trim excessively grown vegetation along roadways.
"The bus served as a police observation post at Victoria Park during each Lunar New Year," Terrence said to HKFP.
A 2022 scholarly study from the Education University of Hong Kong, authored by Chiu Chuk-yin, states that the future of CMB became determined in 1981 after Paliburg Investments made an aggressive attempt to acquire the company.
"From that point onward, CMB became more cautious in managing its bus operations, and its shortcomings were fully exposed following a deadly accident in 1982. During the bus drivers' strike in 1989, CMB was intended to be removed from the list of public transportation providers as the Hong Kong government ceased to view CMB as a dependable bus company," the article stated. said .
The decrease in "the number of bus routes in 1993 and 1995 marked the beginning of the conclusion of CMB's transportation services."
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