Latest news with #KowloonMotorBus
Time Out
06-08-2025
- Time Out
Your ultimate guide to Hong Kong's pet-friendly buses
Ever since Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) launched its pet-friendly bus services, the response has been overwhelmingly positive in Hong Kong's pet owners. After all, in a city where dogs are not allowed on public transportation and the only option for travelling with pets is to drive or order taxis and Ubers (which gets costly), an affordable bus alternative is a god-send. KMB has gamely added new routes to service more people, with stops now available in neighbourhoods like To Kwa Wan, Sham Tseng, Stanley, and more. Read on to find out more about week day pet bus routes, monthly tickets, and August-exclusive adventure buses. What is KMB's Pet-Friendly Island Day Trips event? For three days in the month of August, KMB's pet buses will run to the more far-flung locations of Cheung Sha Beach, Shek Pik Reservoir, and Tai O. Each of the 'tour' days will stop by different pick-up and drop-off points, such as Tung Chung, Yuen Long, and Science Park, to allow more pet owners around Hong Kong to experience the bus services. The day trips will last for around eight hours each with itineraries in place, so all you have to do is show up. What are the schedules for KMB's Pet-Friendly Island Day Trips? KMB's August 3 trip departing from Sheung Shui, Tai Po, and Tung Chung has already finished, but here are the schedules for the other two pet day trips this month. August 24 trip: Departing from Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, and Tung Chung Bus route: 9.10am pick-up at Long Ming Street in Yuen Long, 9.30am at V City in Tuen Mun, 10am at Tung Chung station on Tat Tung Road → Upper and Lower Cheung Sha Beach (stay for 45 to 60 minutes) → Shek Pik Reservoir (stay for 30 to 45 minutes) → Tai O (stay for two and a half hours) → 4.10pm drop-off at Tung Chung, 4.30pm at V City, 5pm at Yuen Long August 31 trip: Departing from Science Park, Tai Wai, and Tung Chung Bus route: 9.10am pick-up at Fo Yin Road in Science Park, 9.30am at Exit A of Tai Wai MTR station, 10am at Tung Chung station on Tat Tung Road → Upper and Lower Cheung Sha Beach (stay for 45 to 60 minutes) → Shek Pik Reservoir (stay for 30 to 45 minutes) → Tai O (stay for two and a half hours) → 4.10pm drop-off at Tung Chung, 4.30pm at Tai Wai MTR station, 5pm at Science Park How much is it to join KMB's Pet-Friendly Island Day Trips? Tickets can be purchased via KMB's App1933 mobile app. One passenger with one pet will cost $228, while two people with one pet will cost $398. After selecting your route and date, and completing purchase, a confirmation email will be sent and a QR code generated within the app itself. On the day of your adventure, simply scan the QR code upon boarding. For both this special event and other pet-friendly bus routes, tickets will need to be booked in advance, so don't rock up to the bus spots with your dog in tow expecting to be able to swipe your Octopus card as usual. What's the latest with KMB's pet-friendly bus routes? From mid-July, KMB has launched eight brand-new bus routes to four popular destinations for pet-owners, including Go Park Sai Sha, the West Kowloon Cultural District, the East Coast Boardwalk in North Point, and Ma Wan. Pick-up and drop-off stops have also been increased, adding the areas of To Kwa Wan, Sham Tseng, Stanley, Repulse Bay, and The Mills in Tsuen Wan to the pet-friendly routes for the first time. Tickets for one passenger with one pet will cost $60, while two passengers and a pet will pay $90 – this will allow you to hop on and off stops for an unlimited amount of times for one day along a route. What are the newest routes for KMB's pet-friendly buses? Route PB1A to Go Park Sai Sha (double-decker bus and coach) Kwai Fong ⇋ Tsuen Wan West ⇋ Sha Tin ⇋ Go Park Sai Sha Departs Kwai Fong every Saturday, from 10am to 6pm; one bus per hour Route PB1B to Go Park Sai Sha (coach) Kai Tak ⇋ To Kwa Wan ⇋ Diamond Hill ⇋ Tai Wai ⇋ Go Park Sai Sha Departs Kai Tak every Sunday, from 10am to 6pm; one bus per hour Route PB2A to West Kowloon Cultural District (coach) Yuen Long ⇋ Tsuen Wan ⇋ Nam Cheong ⇋ West Kowloon Departs Yuen Long every Saturday, from 10am to 6pm; one bus per hour Route PB2B to West Kowloon Cultural District (double-decker bus and coach) Tuen Mun ⇋ Gold Coast ⇋ Sham Tseng ⇋ Olympic ⇋ West Kowloon Departs Tuen Mun every Sunday, from 10am to 6pm; one bus per hour Route PB3A to East Coast Boardwalk in North Point (coach) Kowloon Tong ⇋ Mong Kok ⇋ Ho Man Tin ⇋ Causeway Bay ⇋ North Point Departs Kowloon Tong every Saturday, from 10am to 6pm; one bus per hour Route PB3B to East Coast Boardwalk in North Point (double-decker bus and coach) Stanley ⇋ Repulse Bay ⇋ Central ⇋ Wan Chai ⇋ Causeway Bay ⇋ North Point Departs Stanley every Sunday, from 10am to 6pm; one bus per hour Route PBS1 to Ma Wan (double-decker bus and coach) Central ⇋ Wan Chai ⇋ West Kowloon Cultural District ⇋ Mei Foo ⇋ Tsing Yi ⇋ Ma Wan Departs Central every Saturday, from 10am to 6pm; one bus per hour Route PBS2 to Ma Wan (coach) Tung Chung ⇋ Tsuen Wan ⇋ Kwai Fong ⇋ Tsing Yi ⇋ Ma Wan Departs Tung Chung every Sunday, from 10am to 6pm; one bus per hour What other services do KMB's pet-friendly buses provide? KMB has recently also added weekday services to their pet-friendly routes, so your adventures are not just limited to the weekends! Every Friday, this bus runs between Tsuen Wan and Tsim Sha Tsui, because happy Fridays are for pets too. Route PBW1 (double-decker bus and coach) Tsuen Wan ⇋ Mei Foo ⇋ Olympic ⇋ West Kowloon ⇋ East Tsim Sha Tsui Departs Tsuen Wan and East Tsim Sha Tsui every Friday, from 12 noon to 6pm; one bus every two hours What is the pet bus monthly pass? If you're planning on using the pet bus services a lot, it would definitely be worth getting a monthly pass. At $100 for one passenger with one pet, and $150 for two passengers with one pet, pet owners can enjoy unlimited rides on KMB's pet-friendly buses for 30 days. The monthly pass covers all normal routes and does not include the special trips or activities of the month, and is not transferable to another person who did not purchase the pass. At just a fraction more than a single-day ticket, this is an absolute steal for outdoorsy pups and their owners. How to use KMB's pet-friendly buses As mentioned earlier, passengers will need to pre-book their pet bus tickets. Make sure you arrive before the scheduled departure time, because late arrivals will not be refunded. However, passengers who have missed their pre-book slot can wait to be assigned on the next service if there is an available spot, at no extra cost. Track the pet buses' schedules on KMB's app to avoid this hassle. The back row of buses, including the last row on the top deck, will be prioritised for cat owners, so felines can be separated from other pets that might alarm them. There is no standing room on pet buses, and all passengers will need to remain seated for the journey. Passengers who have been booked on the same ticket will need to board and alight together; if pick-up and drop-off points are different, a new ticket will need to be purchased.
Entrepreneur
12-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How to Build a Tech-Forward Company That Lasts
If you want to build a business that lasts, technological solutions must be inscribed into the very fabric of your company's being. Here's why. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. At the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies across the globe were shaken to the core due to the unprecedented disruption the event posed to their existing business models. However, there was a silver lining in the form of many innovative ways companies adapted to survive and continue, from implementing working from home strategies to organizing socially distanced solutions to enable the public to be catered to safely. Many of these aspects of the post-Covid business models relied heavily on technology, and many of these continue even today — an indication of how many useful solutions were actually developed in the face of intense pressures from a global black swan event. But I would argue that being tech-forward is a virtue that many companies should aspire to, not just as a response to crisis situations. In fact, my business, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company, is an example of a company that is more than 100 years old and has endured several challenges in the past, from the Japanese occupation during World War II to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. It is mainly thriving today due to its tech-forward nature, which results in an appetite for constant innovation. This trait will be even more valuable as we now live in an age of AI, climate change and geopolitical uncertainty, where there is a huge demand for rapid adaptation and change to suit consumer needs using advanced technology. A McKinsey report analyzed the positive effects of tech-enabled business transformation in the 2020s, calling it "the trillion-dollar opportunity," especially in the automotive and manufacturing industries. It found that although only 20% of tech-enabled transformations succeeded, the successful ones, which took a more comprehensive approach to their transformation, generated 50% more value in their earnings. This shows that building a tech-forward company requires skills and a futuristic vision in order to stand the test of time. I believe that technological solutions should be at the heart of a business in the digital age and that they should be inscribed into the very fabric of a company's being instead of being treated as a short-term solution to a problem. To create a tech-savvy business that is built for the long term, here are three things you need to know: Related: 3 Reasons to Add Technology to Your Non-Tech Business 1. Investing in tech talent in-house is crucial Embracing technology, especially if done across the board within a company, should be a move that encapsulates every core and ancillary part of a business. In order to do this, companies need to invest in in-house talents who are specialists in aspects of tech transformation, whether that's hiring software engineers or cybersecurity experts. Having all the tech talents in-house, rather than them being contractors who are outsourced, means that meaningful changes can be made within the company with fewer risks or misalignment of values. But this also requires a delicate strategy, as tech talents have unique needs — especially since the talent pool is also small for more specialized roles where individuals will have higher negotiating powers as they will be in demand. This is when a delicate HR strategy is required to ensure a seamless hiring process and retention of tech talent, according to a McKinsey analysis. The report goes on to say that tech talent "should be a CEO's top priority." 2. Celebrate tech successes across the company Successful implementation of new technologies will show positive results that should be shared with the rest of the company and celebrated across the board, not just among those within the tech team. Creating a positive culture around new technology and creative ways of thinking will encourage more people within the company to embrace new ways of working, instead of having anxiety around any proposed changes. Remember that a tech-forward company is all about being more collaborative and efficient within a business, instead of the futuristic vision only remaining within the confines of senior management. By sharing good news around successful projects that were supported by new technologies, a greater sense of belonging to the company can be cultivated among employees, which will ensure its longevity, too. Related: You Must Embrace Digital Transformation to Stay Ahead of the Competition — Here's How to Seamlessly Weave It into Your Organization 3. Upskilling legacy talent is key Legacy talents should never be left behind, especially within a tech-forward company. This is why training and upskilling should be a high-priority exercise for managers and employees, especially where opportunities to learn about incoming or new technologies can be provided. A trained legacy employee will have confidence and faith in the direction their company is heading, which further increases the workforce retention rate. Business leaders should implement more customized learning solutions, too, which ensures that managers and employees are sufficiently catered to according to their work schedules, time constraints, expertise and specific learning preferences. This is where AI-powered platforms can come in handy, where team members can upskill at a comfortable and efficient pace using higher personalized learning paths, such as microlearning modules, for example. Related: These Tech Trends Will Shape How Small Businesses Achieve Success — Are You Embracing Them?
