First Bus

First Bus can mean:

New World First Bus

New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) (Chinese: 新世界第一巴士服務有限公司) is the third largest bus operator in Hong Kong.

NWFB was established in 1998, taking over 88 China Motor Bus services on 1 September 1998 on Hong Kong Island. It is owned by Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and NWS Holdings.

History

Establishment

Before NWFB commenced, franchised bus service in Hong Kong Island was provided by China Motor Bus (CMB) (franchisee since 1933) and Citybus (franchisee since 1991). In the early 1990s, the service levels of CMB were in decline. Therefore, the Government of Hong Kong started to introduce new competitors by transferring the franchise of CMB routes to other companies.

As a result, Citybus became the 2nd franchisee of the bus service on Hong Kong Island. Over 40 routes were transferred between 1991 and 1995.

In spite of the loss of many profitable routes, the service of China Motor Bus did not show any significant improvement. In February 1998, the government announced the franchise for all 140 routes operated by China Motor Bus would not be reviewed when it expired 31 August 1998. Eighty-eight of the routes were placed to open tender, 12 routes were transferred directly to Citybus, one cross-harbour route to Kowloon Motor Bus, and the remaining routes were cancelled.