Public Light Bus
Public Light Buses (PLBs) are found in areas where patronage does not justify the operation of conventional bus services or where existing infrastructure makes it impossible for the operation of higher-capacity modes of public transit.

PLBs can offer much faster and more direct services due to their small sizes, faster acceleration and greater flexibility. The downside to PLBs is that because of lower seating capacity, they are often more expensive to operate and this will lead to slightly higher fares.

PLBs can operate in less dense areas where demand is lower. They can act as feeder services to major transport modes like the railways.


PLBs in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has a major network of PLB services with over 4000 PLBs servicing both trunk routes as well as feeder routes. There are two types of PLBs in HK - the red PLBs and the green ones. The green PLBs operate on fixed routes with fixed fares while the red PLBs operate non-scheduled services with no fixed fares. The red PLBs provide services according to demand.

http://images4.pictiger.com/thumbs/21/7054ad2592546ef635878e38a4a44f21.th.jpg (http://server4.pictiger.com/img/1313748/cars-and-motors/77483078-eac-58853-aa.php)
A red PLB

http://images4.pictiger.com/thumbs/e8/ad3624f756166069b5d3514178493ae8.th.jpg (http://server4.pictiger.com/img/1313749/cars-and-motors/364181568-f-5-fe-282-f-3-c.php)
A red and green PLB side-by-side

http://images4.pictiger.com/thumbs/f5/35944e44275788c944a212afe99949f5.th.jpg (http://server4.pictiger.com/img/1313750/cars-and-motors/520518836-d-57-d-2-c-1271.php)
Another red PLB

http://images4.pictiger.com/thumbs/27/b9bb8876143c0a8d0d061529826f0827.th.jpg (http://server4.pictiger.com/img/1313751/cars-and-motors/gf-8669.php)
Finally a green PLB

http://images4.pictiger.com/thumbs/e4/fd24cc5cc4a428e7b7bc15ca15231fe4.th.jpg (http://server4.pictiger.com/img/1313752/cars-and-motors/214857693-09881ed-416.php)
Customers waiting at a stop and a green PLB arriving. Passengers are also allowed to hail a PLB from the street kerb like a taxi.


Where PLBs can serve:
- the large universities (NTU and NUS) as a alternative way of getting around rather than 95, 96 and 151 for NUS and 179, 199 for NTU. The PLB service can operate higher frequencies and more direct routes with better coverage of the entire campus

- the Toh Tuck area (Lor Kismis and Eng Kiong roads). The PLB service can act as a future feeder service to a Downtown Line station.

- Sunset way area. The large, low density housing estate can certainly do more with a network of feeder PLB services to nearby MRT stations.

- many Bukit Timah areas since they are of low to medium density developments. These areas are:
1) Hua Guan, Binjai and Swiss Club
2) the upper section of Holland Road leading to Bukit Timah where many condos are located
3) Wattern Estate, Linden drive, Greenpark area
4) Coronation and King's Road area
5) Chancery Lane area

- Mount Sinai area. PLB could have higher coverage and better frequencies than SBS 92

- Lentor Estate. PLBs may act as feeder services to Yio Chu Kang or Yishun MRT

- Serangoon Gardens and Lorong Chuan area since it presently suffers from daily traffic congestion and poor public transport links. Furthermore, Serangoon Gardens has a very high population.

- the low-density housing estate next to Kovan MRT which is currently served by NO feeder services

- the entire Eastern region
1) Dunman (where Chung Cheng High School is located)
2) Tanjong Rhu (PLBs could serve routes between Tanjong Rhu and the city)
3) Joo Chiat and Telok Kurau areas

- even areas closer to the city like Jervois Rd and River Valley Rd as well as the Spottiswoode HDB housing estate

- finally industrial estates like Tuas, Macpherson, Kranji and Woodlands


Some models of minibuses that can be employed to run these PLB services

http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
Optare Solo series

http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa

http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
Nissan Civilian

http://images5.pictiger.com/images/dc31f7999ee76b558b64b550ac2669b5.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)
Toyota Coaster - model found in HK


Any ideas, further suggestions?

Oops sorry abt the pics...

- Lentor Estate. PLBs may act as feeder services to Yio Chu Kang or Yishun MRT

- Serangoon Gardens and Lorong Chuan area since it presently suffers from daily traffic congestion and poor public transport links. Furthermore, Serangoon Gardens has a very high population.

we do. at yio chu kang terminal, we have 2 PLB services operated by Bus-plus for SMRT serving teachers estate and Lentor. In the past, we used to have several 'premium' bus services that run between the city and some towns (i remember the bayshore one...)

well lorong chuan is getting its own CCL station so its just a wait... i do agree that serangoon garden could use better connectivity but PLBs might not be the way to go...
imagine if there are varying amounts of passenger with sudden surge of ppl, a PLB has no standing capacity so once the seats are filled people have to wait for the next and with no queue at bus stops, ppl could eventually be missing up to 5 buses or even more
SBST should introduce high-frequency darts in these areas as opposed to low-frequency normal-sized buses.

Erm, Teachers' Estate service has been suspended since Aug 31.

SMRT Premium 531 between town and Simei will begin running soon.

Regarding:

Bukit Timah: Most people are too wealthy and would travel on personal transport.

Lentor Estate: 825 serves there now quite sufficiently, sees quite decent loads despite high prices.

NUS: The free internal shuttle service is almost more than sufficient in addition to the 95, 96 and 151 and besides, they require capacity more than those mini buses.

S'goon Garden: Sufficiently served by 317s and other services at S'goon Gdn circus, SBST buses operate SDs right into the estates, means loads are high too.

Industrial estates: Many have satisfactory form of transport, either provided by their own factories or are served by SMRT or SBST services from MRT stations. Besides, many working in Woodlands and Tuas respectively are Malaysians and will not be willing to pay for this service and many have own form of transport (motorcycles)