| MAN 24.3x0 HOCLNR-NL | |
|---|---|
| A Kowloon Motor Bus MAN 24.310 with Berkhof bodywork. | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | MAN |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 2 doors |
| Floor type | Low floor |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission | ZF 5HP590 ZF 5HP600(24.350) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 12,000 mm (39 ft 4+1⁄2 in) |
| Width | 2,500 mm (8 ft 2+3⁄8 in) |
The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guidelines for products and services .(July 2018) |
The MAN 24.3x0 HOCLNR-NL was a series of low-floor 3-axle double-decker bus chassis built for right-hand drive markets, as indicated by the R in the designation. It was designed by MAN Truck & Bus, a subsidiary of Triton based on Munich. Unlike other low-entry double-decker buses in Hong Kong, there are steps in the lower deck aisle after the rear exit.
The 24.3x0 was available as both the 24.310 and 24.350, with internal codes MAN A59 and MAN A57 respectively. [1] For the type designation 24.310, 24 means that the bus has the maximum gross weight of 24 tonnes (23.6 long tons; 26.5 short tons), whilst 310 means that the maximum power of the engine is 310 hp (231 kW); for 24.350, the 350 means that the maximum power of the engine is 350 hp (261 kW).
In December 1997, Citybus introduced a solitary Australian-built MAN 24.350 bus with Volgren CR221LD bodywork. This bus remained unique in Citybus fleet and was withdrawn in 2015 due to engine failure and lack of spare parts.
In 1998, Citybus ordered a number of MAN 24.310 buses with Berkhof/Volgren CR223LD bodywork after the trial of its MAN 24.350. [2] [3] However, in early 1999, Transport Department of Hong Kong set quota on the number of buses owned by Citybus, and therefore the order was cancelled involuntarily.
At that time, construction of 32 Berkhof-bodied buses and 2 Volgren CR223LD-bodied buses had been completed, so MAN had to find buyers for these buses. Finally, one Berkhof-bodied bus was retained by MAN for testing, and the others were sold for operations in Hong Kong.
In 1999, Kwoon Chung Motors, a coach and rental bus operator in Hong Kong, took one of the Berkhof-bodied MAN 24.310 that had been built for Citybus and the bus entered service in 2000.
The bus was primarily used on worker services (for staff working at some of the companies at the Hong Kong International Airport). But during rush hours, it could be seen allocated to New Lantao Bus, (a subsidiary of Kwoon Chung), routes in Tung Chung.
This bus was retired and stored in July 2015.
Kowloon Motor Bus took delivery of the other 32 MAN 24.310 buses from the Citybus order. The 30 buses with Berkhof bodywork entered service in 2000. The 2 buses with Volgren CR223LD bodywork, which had been stored in Volgren's facility at Perth, Australia, entered service in 2002.
Later, KMB ordered 15 MAN 24.310 buses with Volgren CR223LD bodywork. They had the staircase moved forward, had yellow instead of red handrails and no seats were fitted above the front wheels. They entered service in 2002.
All of these 47 buses were allocated to Tuen Mun Depot and mainly ran on express routes serving Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing Districts and Kowloon.
The buses have reached 16 to 18 years of age in 2018, KMB has withdrawn all of the buses from service.
Stagecoach Group introduced 28 MAN 24.350 intercity coaches with Jonckheere Monaco bodywork in 1999/2000 for its Oxford Tube service. They were superseded by new Neoplan Skyliner intercity coaches in 2004.
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes, with over 4,000 buses - mostly double deckers - and 420 routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International.
The New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited, commonly known as New Lantao Bus or NLB, is a franchised bus company operating in Hong Kong. It mainly operates bus routes on Lantau Island.

The history of bus transport in Hong Kong began with the introduction of the first bus routes in Hong Kong in the 1920s.
Citybus Limited is a bus company which provides both franchised and non-franchised service in Hong Kong. The franchised route network serves Hong Kong Island, cross-harbour routes, North Lantau, Hong Kong International Airport, Kowloon, New Territories, Shenzhen Bay Port and Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge Hong Kong Port. The non-franchised routes serve mainly City One Sha Tin. It also provides bus rental services and staff bus services for some large companies, such as TVB and China Light and Power.
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The Neoplan Centroliner is a series of low-floor transit buses which was first unveiled in 1997, and mainly built by Neoplan Bus GmbH for the European market. At the time when it was first released, it adopted contemporary technologies like Controller Area Network.
Volgren is an Australian bus and coach body manufacturer.
Tuen Mun Road is a major expressway in Hong Kong which connects Tuen Mun with Tsuen Wan, within the New Territories. It is part of Hong Kong's Route 9, which circumnavigates the New Territories. Opened in 1978, it was once the major trunk route linking the northwest New Territories to urban Kowloon and is known for its frequent traffic jams and road accidents owing to its early design and heavy usage. As a result, speed limits have been enforced to 70–80 km/h (45–50 mph) due to geometric constraints.
Dennis Trident 3, is the first low floor tri-axle double-decker bus chassis built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, with a large number purchased by bus companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States and Canada.
Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas.
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The Dennis Jubilant was a front engined double decker bus chassis manufactured by Dennis between 1977 and 1981. It was specifically designed for contemporary operating environment in Hong Kong.
The Dennis Dragon is a three-axle step-entrance double-decker bus manufactured by Dennis in England between 1982 and 1999.
The Leyland Victory Mark 2 is a front-engined double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1978 and 1981. Like its competitor the Dennis Jubilant it was specifically designed for the contemporary operating environment in Hong Kong.
Bus services in Hong Kong have a long history. As of 2023, four companies operate franchised public bus services. There are also a variety of non-franchised public bus services, including feeder bus services to railway stations operated by MTR, and residents' services for residential estates.
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The Volvo B8L is a 3-axle bus chassis, for double-decker buses, manufactured by Volvo Buses since 2016, with pre-production batches being produced as early as in 2016. It is powered by a 6-cylinder, 350hp 7.7 litre Volvo engine.

In the morning of 10 July 2003, a Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) double-decker bus plunged off a bridge near the Ting Kau section of the Tuen Mun Road in Tsuen Wan, New Territories. The crash killed 21 people and injured 20.