The government said yesterday that new and improved public bus services for the Zone A new urban area, which has been served by public buses since September last year, will be launched before the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY), after Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man paid a fact-finding visit to the 1.38-square-kilometre land reclamation area “recently”, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the government’s ongoing efforts to improve the area’s public transport and community facilities.
The Chinese New Year this year falls on February 17, when the Year of the Horse begins.
Zone A, a new land reclamation area primarily being developed for public housing projects, is located between the peninsula’s north-eastern coast and the man-made island where the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Macau checkpoint is located.
Construction of the first three subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) estates in Zone A was completed in 2024, comprising a total of 3,017 flats.
The government started in September last year to arrange for those who had chosen and purchased their flats to move into the three estates, namely Tong Seng Building (東城大廈) comprising four blocks on plot B4, Tong Chong Building (東創大廈) comprising two blocks on plot B9, and Tong Kai Building (東啟大廈) comprising two blocks on plot B10.
Correspondingly, Zone A has been served by public buses since September last year.
Zone A is currently served by three public bus routes, 101X, 102X and 103.
A public health station, located on the first floor of the Tong Chong estate, opened in November last year. It is the first public facility serving members of the public to come into service in Zone A.
Yesterday’s government announcements about the upcoming improved public bus services for Zone A were made by the Housing Bureau (IH) in a statement, which also said that a supermarket, an eatery, and a pharmacy located in the Tong Chong estate are being decorated and are scheduled to open before the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Concerning the upcoming improved public bus services, the statement said that public bus route 2A will extend its service to Zone A.
Currently, route 2A travels between Praça de Ferreira do Amaral in the city centre and the neighbourhood near the Areia Preta Health Centre.
According to yesterday’s statement, a temporary public bus terminal will be set up in a street near the Tong Chong estate and the Tong Kai estate to be used for route 2A.
Moreover, the statement said, route 103 will newly serve Iao Hon district.
Currently, route 103 travels between the Taipa Ferry Terminal and Areia Preta district, over the sea-crossing Macau Bridge, the HZMB Macau checkpoint, and Zone A.
The extended public bus services for Zone A will get off the ground before the upcoming Chinese New Year, the statement said.
This undated handout photo released by the Housing Bureau (IH) yesterday shows Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man (third from left) being briefed by officials under his portfolio about their work to improve Zone A’s public transport and community facilities during his recent inspection visit there.
This diagram released by the bureau yesterday shows the upcoming improved public bus services for Zone A. In addition to the setting-up of a temporary public bus terminal for route 2A, a new public bus stop will also be set up near the three HOS estates in addition to the current two bus stops there.
