Public Bus Services Regulations
[29 August 1984]
(Format changes—E.R. 4 of 2020)
These regulations may be cited as the Public Bus Services Regulations.
In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—
authorized person (獲授權的人) means any person employed by a grantee and authorized by it for the purposes of these regulations; bus stop (巴士站) means an area of road that has been designated as a bus stop under regulation 3; (L.N. 19 of 1989) gangway (通道), in relation to a bus, means the space provided for obtaining access from any entrance to the passengers’ seats or from any such seat to an exit, other than an emergency exit, but does not include a staircase or any space in front of a seat which is required only for the use of passengers occupying that seat or that row of seats; (L.N. 19 of 1989) identity card (身分證) means an identity card issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap. 177); (L.N. 19 of 1989) pass (乘車證) means a pass issued by a grantee or by some other person and accepted by a grantee which, subject to these regulations and to any terms or conditions approved by the Commissioner under these regulations, entitles a person to travel (or the travel for a reduced fare) on a bus operated by the grantee under a franchise; (L.N. 19 of 1989) ticket (車票) means a single journey ticket, monthly ticket, student ticket or any other document (other than a pass) issued by a grantee or by some other person and accepted by a grantee which, subject to these regulations and to any terms or conditions approved by the Commissioner under these regulations, entitles a person to travel on a bus operated by the grantee under a franchise; (L.N. 19 of 1989) travel document (旅行證件) means a passport furnished with a photograph of the holder, or some other document establishing to the satisfaction of an employee of a grantee, the identity of the holder; (L.N. 19 of 1989) Vietnamese refugee card (越南難民證) means a card of identity issued by the Director, the Deputy Director or any Assistant Director of Immigration to a Vietnamese refugee. (L.N. 19 of 1989)The Commissioner may designate an area of road to be a bus stop. (L.N. 19 of 1989)
A bus stop may be restricted to—
a specified grantee; or
a specified route.
Subject to regulation 24A, a bus belonging to a specified grantee or on a specified route— (56 of 1986 s. 23)
may stop at a bus stop to pick up or set down passengers;
shall stop at a bus stop to set down a passenger if requested to do so and, if not at full capacity, to pick up an intending passenger when signalled to do so.
The Commissioner may require a grantee to erect and maintain a sign, of a type approved by the Commissioner, at a bus stop, or to remove any sign.
No person shall, without the permission of the Commissioner, erect or cause to be erected any sign on or near any road in such a manner that such sign might reasonably be believed to have been erected in accordance with subregulation (4).
Every sign which, at the commencement of these regulations, has been lawfully erected on or near a road by a grantee to indicate a bus stop shall be deemed to have been erected in accordance with subregulation (4).
(Repealed L.N. 19 of 1989)
A grantee may issue tickets and passes, and accept tickets and passes issued by any other person, upon such terms and conditions as may be approved by the Commissioner.
A grantee shall ensure that a copy, in English and Chinese characters, of the conditions upon which any ticket or pass is issued, is prominently displayed at all times at every fixed place where such ticket or pass is sold and that, on demand, any person who buys such ticket or pass at any such fixed place may receive, without charge, a copy of such conditions.
Any person who, for the purposes of obtaining any ticket or pass issued under subregulation (1) for himself or any other person, knowingly makes a false statement commits an offence.
A grantee shall ensure that fares are collected—
against the issue of a ticket; or
in such other manner as may be approved by the Commissioner.
Every grantee shall ensure that—
every bus used by it in connection with its franchise is, at all times when the bus is so used, properly equipped to the satisfaction of the Commissioner with such signs and destination indicators as are referred to in regulation 7; and
every driver, conductor and authorized person employed by it is equipped with such uniform as is referred to in regulation 8.
A driver and conductor of a bus when acting as such shall ensure that—
there is displayed on the front and rear of the bus signs, of a design and construction approved by the Commissioner, showing the route number;
there is displayed on the front of the bus a destination indicator, of a design and construction approved by the Commissioner, showing in English and Chinese characters the destination of the bus;
the signs and indicator required to be displayed under paragraphs (a) and (b) are adequately illuminated at all times when, under the provisions of any other enactment, the lights of the bus are required to be illuminated;
there is displayed on the bus, to the satisfaction of the Commissioner— (E.R. 4 of 2020)
a statement, in English and Chinese characters, of the maximum number of seated and standing passengers authorized to be carried on the bus;
the authorized fare for passengers boarding on the section of the route on which the bus is currently operating; and
there are available on the bus written details, in both English and Chinese characters, of the fares and charges authorized to be taken on that route, such details to be available for inspection by passengers on reasonable request being made.
The Commissioner may permit the use of a temporary sign under subregulation (1)(a) and a temporary destination indicator under subregulation (1)(b) for such period and subject to such conditions as he may determine.
Every driver and conductor of a bus and every authorized person employed by a grantee shall at all times when on duty wear such uniform and carry such badge as shall be approved by the Commissioner.
A driver of a bus, when acting as such—
shall not cause the bus to remain stationary on a road longer than is reasonably necessary to pick up or set down passengers except at a stand or place where the bus is permitted to stop for a longer time than is necessary for that purpose;
shall duly drive the bus by the appointed route to the appointed destination, except when prevented from doing so by accident or other emergency or when ordered not to do so by an authorized person or by a police officer;
shall stop his bus at every bus stop which bears an indication that all buses or all buses travelling the route on which his bus is travelling should stop there;
shall stop his bus, if signalled to do so, at every bus stop along the route on which his bus is travelling to allow passengers or intending passengers to alight from or to board his bus:
Provided that a driver shall be under no obligation to stop his bus in accordance with paragraph (d) for the purpose of picking up passengers when his bus is displaying the sign board specified in regulation 7(1)(d).
A conductor of a bus when acting as such—
shall, when a passenger in the bus gives adequate warning that he wishes to alight at the next bus stop, give to the driver such signal as will inform the driver that the bus should be stopped at such place;
shall not, except for sufficient reason, by failing to signal the driver to start, cause the bus to remain stationary on a road longer than is reasonably necessary to pick up or set down passengers except at a stand or place where the bus is permitted to stop for a longer time than is necessary for that purpose.
A conductor of a bus, when acting as such, and in the case of a bus in which no conductor is carried, a driver—
shall not neglect or refuse to admit and to carry at the lawful fare any passenger or intending passenger who can be accommodated without exceeding the authorized capacity of the bus and to whose admission no reasonable objection is made;
shall permit any passenger to bring with him such goods as may lawfully, safely and conveniently be carried on the bus;
shall not permit any animal, other than a guide dog accompanying a blind person, to be carried on the bus;
may refuse to permit any person who is in a dirty condition to enter in or travel in the bus;
may refuse to permit any person, whom he has reasonable cause to believe to be intoxicated, mentally unbalanced or suffering from an infectious or contagious disease, to enter in or travel in the bus;
may refuse to permit any person, whom he has reasonable cause to believe is carrying goods of a dangerous or offensive nature, to enter in or travel in the bus.
A driver and a conductor of a bus, when acting as such—
shall behave in a civil and orderly manner;
shall be clean and tidy in his person;
shall not smoke in or on the bus during a journey or when it has passengers on board; (L.N. 19 of 1989)
shall take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of passengers in or on or entering or alighting from the bus;
shall, if requested by any police officer in uniform or any person authorized by the Commissioner, give particulars of his licence, if any, his name and the name and address of the grantee by whom he is employed;
shall not, at any reasonable time, obstruct, or neglect to give all reasonable information and assistance to, any police officer in uniform, or any person authorized by the Commissioner who produces such authority, to examine the bus.
A driver or conductor of a bus shall not while on duty as such consume any alcoholic drink.
A driver of a bus when acting as such—
shall, when picking up or setting down passengers, stop the bus as close to the left or near side of the road as is safe and practicable so to do;
shall not, when the bus is in motion, speak to any person unless it is necessary to do so on grounds of safety;
shall not unreasonably delay the bus on any journey;
shall shut off the engine and ensure that all the passengers are removed from the bus before filling the petrol or oil tank and keep such engine shut off and ensure that all passengers remain out of the bus until such filling is completed;
shall shut off the engine if, for any reason, he leaves the bus unattended.
Any person who is an employee of a grantee and who is in uniform and on duty may remove from a bus any person whom he has reasonable cause to believe has contravened these regulations.
Any person who is an employee of a grantee and who is in uniform and on duty may require any passenger whom he has reasonable cause to believe has contravened these regulations to give his name and address and produce proof of identity. (L.N. 19 of 1989)
Any person who is an employee of a grantee and who is in uniform and on duty may arrest without a warrant any person whom he has reasonable cause to believe has contravened these regulations and may detain such person until he can be handed over to a police officer.
A police officer, to whom a person is handed over under subregulation (3), shall take such person into custody without a warrant and thereafter sections 51 and 52 of the Police Force Ordinance (Cap. 232) shall apply. (L.N. 19 of 1989)
No passenger or intending passenger shall—
wilfully obstruct, impede or distract the driver of the bus or any authorized person;
wilfully obstruct the driver’s view of the road or of any traffic;
wilfully do or cause to be done with respect to any part of the bus or its equipment, anything which—
obstructs or interferes with the workings of the bus or causes damage; or
causes injury, discomfort, annoyance or inconvenience to any other person;
improperly interfere with the doors or any other mechanism, device or control which forms part of the bus or which is connected to the bus; or
throw or wilfully drop anything from a bus.
No passenger shall stand—
on any part of a bus other than the gangway;
on the upper deck of a bus; or
on a single-decked bus or on the lower deck of a double-decked bus, forward of the rearmost part of the driver’s seat,
while the bus is moving.
A line may be marked transversely on the gangway to indicate the area in which passengers may not stand while the bus is moving.
A driver or conductor of a bus when acting as such may give such directions as he considers necessary in the interests of public safety to any passenger or intending passenger.
No passenger or intending passenger shall fail to comply with any direction given under subregulation (1).
A passenger on a bus may carry, without further charge, a package or packages of a total weight not exceeding 5 kg and a total volume not exceeding 0.1 m3 so long as such package or packages may be safely or conveniently carried.
A passenger on a bus which the Commissioner has authorized for the carriage of additional goods may carry, in addition to any goods carried under subregulation (1), such other goods as the Commissioner may permit on payment of the appropriate charge specified in the scale of fares determined under section 13(1) of the Ordinance.
The carriage of goods under subregulations (1) and (2) is subject to the condition that—
the goods shall not occupy any seat and are not placed in the gangway or stairway of the bus; and
no goods of an offensive nature shall be carried. (L.N. 19 of 1989)
Subject to subregulation (2), a person must not bring onto a bus any substance or article to which the Dangerous Goods Ordinance (Cap. 295) applies. (L.N. 19 of 1989; L.N. 129 of 2019)
A person may bring onto a bus compressed oxygen contained in an oxygen cylinder if the person, before paying any fare—
shows to the driver or conductor of the bus that the compressed oxygen is required for the person’s own medical use by inhaling the oxygen through a nasal cannula or oxygen mask connected to—
if the person is carrying 1 oxygen cylinder—the cylinder; or
if the person is carrying more than one oxygen cylinder—any of the cylinders;
declares to the driver or conductor the number of oxygen cylinders that the person is carrying; and
after making a declaration under paragraph (b), has not been advised by the driver or conductor that the total number of oxygen cylinders on board the bus will exceed 2 if the person brings the declared number of oxygen cylinders onto the bus. (L.N. 129 of 2019)
For the purposes of this regulation, an oxygen cylinder carried by a person is regarded as containing compressed oxygen. (L.N. 129 of 2019)
In this regulation—
oxygen cylinder (氧氣瓶) means a container used for containing compressed oxygen. (L.N. 129 of 2019)Any person who finds any property accidentally left in a bus shall immediately hand it in the state in which he finds it to the conductor, or, if no conductor is carried on the bus, to the driver, who shall deal with it in accordance with these regulations.
Immediately on the termination of any journey by a bus the conductor, or, if no conductor is carried, the driver, shall search the bus so far as is practicable for any property that has been accidentally left therein, and as soon as may be and in any case within 12 hours, shall hand any such property together with any property handed to him in accordance with regulation 15 in the state in which it came into his possession, to the grantee or such employee of the grantee as shall be authorized by the grantee to receive any such property, and such employee shall give the conductor or driver, as the case may be, a receipt for the property:
Provided that—(a)any property found by or handed to a conductor or driver may, if he goes off duty before the completion of the journey, either be dealt with by him in accordance with this regulation or handed by him, in the state in which it came into his possession, to the conductor or driver who goes on duty in his place who shall give him a receipt therefor and deal with it in accordance with this regulation; and(b)if, before the property has been handed to the grantee or to his duly authorized employee, it is claimed by a person who satisfies the conductor or the driver that he is the owner thereof it shall be returned to that person forthwith, without fee or reward, on such person giving a receipt therefor containing his name and address to the conductor or the driver who shall, as soon as may be, report the facts and give the claimant’s receipt and a description of the property to the grantee or to its duly authorized employee.
A grantee shall keep a record of the particulars of any property handed in by a conductor or driver in accordance with regulation 16, the circumstances in which it was found and the name of the conductor or driver into whose possession it first came and the ultimate disposal of the property under these regulations and such record shall, at all reasonable times, be available for inspection by any police officer.
A grantee shall retain in safe keeping any property which comes into its possession in accordance with regulation 16 until claimed by the owner thereof or disposed of in accordance with these regulations.
A grantee shall return forthwith all official documents, including licences, passports and identity cards, to the appropriate Government Department or other body or person by whom they were issued.
Where the name and address of the owner of any property, other than a document referred to in subregulation (2) are readily ascertainable, the grantee shall forthwith notify him that the property is in its possession and may be claimed in accordance with these regulations.
If any property appears to the grantee to be of a perishable or offensive nature and is not claimed and proved to its satisfaction to belong to a claimant within 8 hours of the time of finding or if it becomes objectionable, the grantee may thereupon destroy or otherwise dispose of the property as it thinks fit and, if the property is sold, the grantee shall reward the conductor or driver in the manner provided in regulation 19.
If any property retained by a grantee is not proved to its satisfaction to belong to a claimant within 3 months of the date when the property was handed over to it by a conductor or driver, the property shall thereupon vest in the grantee and the grantee may either deliver the property to the conductor or driver or without delay sell the property and in respect of any article which realizes a sum in excess of $2 shall award to the conductor or driver one-fifth, up to an amount not exceeding $25, of the proceeds of such sale, and in computing the amount due to the conductor or driver any part of 10 cents shall be reckoned as 10 cents:
Provided that any document not returned to the owner or other appropriate person under regulation 18(3) and which has not been claimed by the person entitled to its return before the expiration of such period of 3 months shall not be delivered to the conductor or driver or sold but shall be dealt with in such manner as the grantee may deem appropriate.
If any property retained by a grantee under regulation 18 is claimed within 3 months of the date on which it was handed over to the grantee by the conductor or driver and the claimant proves to the satisfaction of the grantee that it belongs to him, it shall thereupon be delivered to the claimant upon his signing a receipt therefor and upon payment by him to the grantee of a sum not exceeding 50 cents and, in the case of property of a value exceeding $2, an additional sum, not exceeding $25, of one-fifth of the value of the property, which additional sum shall be awarded by the grantee to the conductor or driver, and in computing the amount due to the conductor or driver any proportion of 10 cents shall be reckoned as 10 cents.
For the purposes of this regulation, the value of any property shall be deemed to be such sum as may be agreed between the claimant and the grantee or, failing agreement, such sum as may be fixed by an auctioneer licensed under the Miscellaneous Licences Ordinance (Cap. 114), any fee payable to such auctioneer being paid by the claimant.
The conductor or driver or other person into whose possession any property first came shall alone be entitled to an award under regulations 18, 19 and 20.
Where any property is forwarded to a claimant, all costs of packing and carriage reasonably incurred shall be paid to the grantee by the claimant.
A grantee shall not be liable for any loss, damage or injury to lost property if all due diligence and care has been exercised by the grantee and by its employees in respect thereof.
Where lost property is returned by a conductor or driver in accordance with regulation 16(b) or is returned by a grantee in accordance with regulation 20(1), in good faith to a claimant, the conductor, driver or grantee shall not be liable to any further claim in respect of such property.
Where any property is contained in a package, bag or other receptacle, the grantee may cause such package, bag or receptacle to be opened and the contents examined if the grantee considers it necessary for the purposes of identifying and tracing the owner thereof or of ascertaining the nature of its contents.
Where any property is claimed by any person, the grantee may require the claimant to open any receptacle in which it may be contained and to submit the contents to examination for the purpose of establishing his claim to ownership or of ascertaining the value of the property.
During the period referred to in section 5(9) of the Ordinance every grantee shall within the North-west Transit Service Area ensure that no bus used by it in connection with its franchise, otherwise than as may be permitted by its franchise, or as may be permitted by the Commissioner with the consent of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, or in an emergency—
puts down any passenger who has boarded the bus within the North-west Transit Service Area; or
takes up any passenger whose journey is to terminate within the North-west Transit Service Area.
In addition to any powers which the Commissioner may exercise under regulation 3 he may, during the period referred to in section 5(9) of the Ordinance, within the North-west Transit Service Area restrict a bus stop under that regulation so that it may only be used, or may not be used, by passengers who are travelling to, or arriving from, a point outside the North-west Transit Service Area.
Any person who without reasonable excuse contravenes any requirement made under regulation 3(4) or any of the provisions of regulation 3(3)(b), 3(5), 4(2), 5, 6, 7(1), 8, 9, 10(1), 10(2)(a), (b) or (c), 11(a), (b), (c), (e) or (f), 12(a), (b) or (c), 13A(2), 13B, 15, 16, 17 or 18 commits an offence.
Any person who commits an offence under regulation 4(3) or subregulation (1) is liable to a fine at level 1.
Any person who without reasonable excuse contravenes any of the provisions of regulation 11(d), 11A, 12(d) or (e), 13A(1) or 14A commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 2 and to imprisonment for 6 months.
Any grantee who fails to ensure compliance with regulation 24A commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 1.