A cross-border bus serving a new route between the Hong Kong Science Park and its Shenzhen branch. Courtesy of HTCZ authority
A new cross-border bus service has been initiated to facilitate transportation for scientific research institutes and their staff between the Hong Kong Science Park and its Shenzhen branch.
A ceremony marking the trial operation of the cross-border buses took place at the Shenzhen branch located in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (HTCZ) on Friday. The eye-catching pink and blue bus attracted attention during the event.
During the trial operation, scheduled to continue until September 2024, eligible HTCZ-approved personnel are entitled to free rides on the cross-border buses.
The service allows them to conveniently commute between the science park's Hong Kong and Shenzhen locations, with the Hong Kong station situated near the roadside parking spaces of Bus 12E, and the Shenzhen station located at the Hong Kong Science Park Shenzhen Branch's roadside garden.
To access this service, staffers can register through the "iFutian" (“i福田”) WeChat miniprogram. The buses will shuttle back and forth between the two locations with three round-trip buses, taking approximately 45 minutes for a single trip, and will cross the border at Huanggang Checkpoint.
The buses depart from the Shenzhen location at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 3 p.m., and return from the Hong Kong location at 11:15 a.m., 1:45 p.m., and 4:15 p.m. These buses will operate on working days according to the mainland's working schedule.
Yang Bingbing, director of the operation and mainland strategy department at the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, shared her experience after taking the bus directly to her office in the Hong Kong Science Park.
"The bus provides convenient transportation for scientific research institutes, allowing seamless travel between laboratories and offices in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong. This facilitation will further deepen cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong," Yang said.