Introducing Hong Kong’s speed racers.
The speed demons that are red minibuses, however, are a different story. They aren’t run by the government or private companies, but rather by individuals who have bought or rented the minibus.
Drivers pay $600 a day—along with an extra $150 for fuel—to rent the minibus, incentivising them to drive as fast as possible to pick up more passengers. Red minibus drivers can change the fare according to their whims, such as charging more on typhoon days. They can change the route, too, and can technically drive most anywhere in the city bar some newer districts, which is why you’d never see red minibuses in places such as Tsing Yi or Ma On Shan.
The flexibility can be a downside, though, as it makes red minibuses harder to regulate so that the government won’t be issuing any new licenses soon. Today, only a quarter of all minibuses are red, a percentage that is not likely to increase anytime.