Bus parade, exhibition to mark PRC's 75th anniversary

Buses ranging from museum pieces to state-of-the-art machines on Saturday rolled through the city to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The parade, organised by the Transport Department and three franchised bus operators, featured retired and in-service buses. The procession started in Victoria Park, passing along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island and finishing up at the Central Ferry Piers. There is also a four-day bus exhibition underway at Victoria Park. Speaking at the departure ceremony, transport minister Lam Sai-hung said buses have long been an indispensable part of people's livelihoods. "The rapid development of new energy technologies of our country in recent years has enriched Hong Kong's choices of new energy public transport," he said. "Numerous electric double-decker buses and hydrogen fuel cell buses introduced into Hong Kong in the past few years were China-made models." Many bus lovers gathered to take photos of the parading buses, including Mr Lee, who purposely came from Guangzhou, to see some of the SAR's antique buses. "I have never seen these discontinued buses in a public event parading before, so I think this opportunity is very rare. I purposely came from the mainland to see them," he said. Another spectator, Mr Chan, was ecstatic to see history passing through the streets of Hong Kong. "I didn't think they would host a bus tour. I saw some new buses. It turns out that one of them is a new Citybus that is probably not in service yet. I couldn't believe that new buses would be featured in the parade. It’s really exciting. I hope the government will organise more parades in the future."