Public light bus

The public light bus (PLB) or minibus is a public transport service in Hong Kong. It uses minibuses to provide quicker transport and to serve areas that standard Hong Kong bus lines cannot reach as efficiently. The vehicles are colloquially known by the loanword Van仔 (Jyutping: wen1 zai2; Cantonese Yale: Van jái; lit. 'Van child or Van-ette').

Depending on the type of vehicle, minibuses carry a maximum of 16 or 19 seated passengers; no standing passengers are allowed. Minibuses typically offer a faster and more efficient transportation solution due to their small size, limited carrying capacity, frequency and diverse range of routes, although their fares are generally slightly higher than those of standard buses. The popularity of minibus services in Hong Kong can be attributed to Hong Kong's high population density, as well as the ability of the minibuses to navigate narrow and winding roads which standard buses cannot.

Minibuses in Hong Kong are licensed either as green minibuses (GMBs) or red minibuses (RMBs), the former restricted to fixed-fare, fixed-route operation, the latter not so restricted. RMBs substitute red for green on the external roof of the car, although originally the distinction was made by the colour of the stripe around the midsection of the vehicle. Otherwise, the two versions of minibus are identical in appearance, both sporting a predominantly cream-coloured body.

Most minibuses are Toyota Coasters, but a new and environmentally friendly Iveco Daily Green minibus has also been introduced as part of a recent scheme in Hong Kong to increase the quality of the buses. Most of the buses run on Autogas (liquefied petroleum gas or LPG). This type of fuel is not only cheaper, but also reduces particulate emissions. The transport commission is making further efforts to reduce emissions by providing incentives for bus drivers to make the switch to even more efficient electric vehicles.

As of 2014, there were 4,350 public minibuses in Hong Kong, of which 3,150 were GMBs and 1,200 were RMBs. The operations of these two types of services are regulated through conditions imposed by the Commissioner for Transport under the passenger service licences (PSLs).

Since the income of minibus drivers are usually earned individually rather than paid by companies, speeding is very common among minibus drivers so that they can earn more by driving more rounds. This phenomenon is commonly mocked as "minibuses of death" (Chinese: 亡命小巴; Cantonese Yale: móhngmihng síubā). In response to public concerns, from 2012, all public minibuses were required to install speed alarms activated at 80 km/h. On all public minibuses, a large digital speedometer must also be installed on the interior ceiling, adjacent to the driver's seat, facing passengers, enabling them to monitor the current speed.

The beginnings of public minibus service can be traced to a local minibus system (Chinese: 黑牌車; Cantonese Yale: Hāakpáai chē) used in the New Territories before the 1960s. When, during the 1967 Hong Kong riots, workers of the two main franchised public bus services, China Motor Bus and Kowloon Motor Bus, went on strike bringing buses and trams to a halt, such services stepped in. One of the routes during the 1967 Hong Kong riots was from Jordan Road Ferry Pier to Yuen Long, which can be considered as the first minibus route in the New Territories. After 1967, they were allowed to operate in the urban areas of Hong Kong to ease commuter chaos.

At the time people with mini-vans provided transport to the public for a small charge. The mini-vans were mainly servicing in the New Territories areas such as Yuen Long, Sheung Shui and Fanling, giving a shuttle bus service to the people living in the rural areas. The government turned a blind eye even though it was against traffic laws to carry passengers without a passenger service licence. The 1969 legislation legalising the service making some 5,000 licences available for drivers caused some controversy. Some believed it was wrong of the government to issue licences to people who had been profiting from an illegal activity.