Li Rixin (1939)
Edward Lyndon Rees ([1], born January 19, 1939), is a British national and the founder of Citybus in Hong Kong. He is respectfully known among bus enthusiasts as "The Grandfather." Starting in 1982, he served as Managing Director of Citybus[2]. After Citybus was acquired by Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, he concurrently served as Managing Director of the group's New World First Bus, and retired at the end of February 2006[2][3].
Early Career
Rees began working in the UK bus industry in the 1950s. In 1969, he came to Hong Kong to join the government’s Transport Department overseeing public transportation[3]. The following year, he joined China Motor Bus Company as Transport Manager. Under his leadership, the company adopted British-style one-man operation[4][5] and promoted orderly passenger queuing[5].
Founding of Citybus
In 1977, Rees and a friend raised HKD 80,000 to establish Citybus, initially providing staff transport for United Dockyards[3]. During this period, Citybus pioneered the introduction of open-top buses, tri-axle air-conditioned buses, and cross-border services[5].
In 1981, Citybus launched its first public estate route 602 (later renumbered 62R and discontinued in 2013), connecting City One Shatin with Kowloon Tong Station. Soon after, they partnered with Ocean Park to operate the fare-paying shuttle 629 between Admiralty and the park. In the mid-1980s, as cross-border travel surged, Citybus began direct bus services to mainland China, which lasted until 2001. In 1985, Citybus acquired new Leyland Olympian air-conditioned buses from the UK for cross-border operations, laying the foundation for the widespread adoption of air-conditioned buses in Hong Kong. Citybus also provided contract and private bus hire, including staff shuttles for TVB.
Rees was a bus enthusiast and personally drove buses while serving as Managing Director. He remains Honorary President of the Hong Kong Bus Fan Club.
Merger of Citybus and NWFB
Due to the economic impact of SARS and the government's rail-first transport policy, UK-based Stagecoach Group decided to exit the Hong Kong market and sold Citybus to NWS Holdings, which already owned NWFB. This marked the end of intense bus competition on Hong Kong Island. The two companies consolidated routes, introduced Octopus transfer discounts, and merged backend operations to improve efficiency.
Rees served as Managing Director of Citybus and NWFB in 1982 and 2004 respectively until his retirement in February 2006[2][3]. Prior to his retirement, he expressed concern that the opening of the South Island MTR Line might phase out 200 buses and affect nearly 700 jobs. After retirement, he hoped to operate a heritage bus service and establish a transport museum.
Views
During the 2019 anti-extradition protests, Rees posted on Facebook expressing pride in the demonstrators.[6]
On July 12, 2022, Bravo Transport announced that NWFB would merge into Citybus the following year. Rees welcomed the move on Facebook, saying he had long envisioned Citybus managing NWFB[7].
On July 31, 2022, Rees stated on Facebook that electric bus trials in Hong Kong were a "total failure," citing the example of KMB’s BYD K12A with less than 50% usage rate. He questioned how electric buses could maintain air-conditioning performance in Hong Kong's hot climate while preserving battery range.[8][9][10]
References
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%8E%E6%97%A5%E6%96%B0_(1939%E5%B9%B4)#cite_ref-1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://www.nwstbus.com.hk/tc/uploadedPressRelease/1268_2006020101tc.pdf
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/daily/article/20060224/5683648
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%8E%E6%97%A5%E6%96%B0_(1939%E5%B9%B4)#cite_ref-4
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://paper.wenweipo.com/2006/02/24/HK0602240063.htm
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%8E%E6%97%A5%E6%96%B0_(1939%E5%B9%B4)#cite_ref-6
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%8E%E6%97%A5%E6%96%B0_(1939%E5%B9%B4)#cite_ref-7
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%8E%E6%97%A5%E6%96%B0_(1939%E5%B9%B4)#cite_ref-8
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%8E%E6%97%A5%E6%96%B0_(1939%E5%B9%B4)#cite_ref-9
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%8E%E6%97%A5%E6%96%B0_(1939%E5%B9%B4)#cite_ref-10