Hong Kong “Lorry” Buses – one sighted 1st April – no joke!

Malcolm Morris added this comment to Q+A 27 Village Vehicles: There was another type of Village Vehicle in use in the New Territories a few decades ago. Lorry buses. These were privately owned and provided transport for villages in areas not served by the major bus companies.

IDJ sent this image, in March 2022, of as he says “lorry bus boarding scramble,1960s”.

IDJ has sent this photo from the very early 1970s.

Malcolm attached a link to a blog “The Forgotten Transportation – dedicated to show the minority transportation of Hong Kong.”

Lorry Buses, called “Village vehicles” or “Street cars” by the locals, have a very rich history in Hong Kong. As its name, “village vehicles” shuttle between villages and town centers in New Territories.
As early as the fifties and sixties, there are records of “village vehicles” operating in the countryside of Hong Kong. Their existence is because at that time, transportation in some villages was poor. Buses and minibuses could not fulfill the needs of the villagers. Therefore, the villagers started operating their own “village vehicles”, carrying villagers to the nearest town centers. In addition, villagers used “village vehicles” to transport their farm products to market to sell and also transported daily utilities from markets back to their villages. Thus, the role of “village vehicles” is to transport both passengers and goods. Therefore, village vehicles were converted from medium sized lorries. The goods compartment was converted to a multi-purpose compartment, by fitting in new seats and windows, for carrying both passengers and goods. (1)

HF: While walking along Shau Tau Kok Road on 1st April 2016 near the village of Muk Min Tau I came across a vehicle very much like the one shown above parked off road. It had two benches running length ways along the sides of the passenger compartment. The door as in the vehicle above appeared somewhat rusty but oddly the licence was current and due to expire in June 2016. A bit of a mystery then…

This article was first posted on 20th August 2015.

Sources:

1. Lorry Buses – The Forgotten Transportation

See:

1. The Forgotten Transportation Blogspot – “dedicated to show the minority transportation of Hong Kong”

Related Indhhk articles:

1. Ngan Shing-kwan, co-founder of the China Motor Bus Company
2. Shek O Bus Terminus – cantilevered balcony, art deco lettering from 1955
3. Yau Fung Tours and Transportation Company Ltd aka Hong Kong Bus, ex-Manchester, Perth and London buses
4. Bus, tram and peak tram conductors
5. Jidosha Kabushki Kaisha Ltd (Nissan/Toyota?) bus company during WW2
6. Argos Bus Services Company Ltd – initially used secondhand UK double-deckers
7. The Dennis Jubilant bus – specifically designed for Hong Kong, 1977-1981
8. China Motor Bus Company – Chai Wan Depot
9. World War Two – 1945 BAAG report on occupied Hong Kong – motor bus services