HK minibus rides may reflect newcomers’ level of assimilation

Monday Vibes

Taking a ride on a Hong Kong minibus can be intimidating for a newcomer to the city.

It requires interpersonal exchange between passenger and driver. For new arrivals who don’t speak Cantonese well, it takes courage to overcome the anxiety of being exposed, as someone “alien” and not quite adequate to engage in basic, daily communication like the locals. It’s like you get busted for failing to blend in.

Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway, or MTR, is a popular means of transport for tourists, many of whom like to explore a city by themselves. It is convenient, efficient and its network of trains covers the city from its bustling center to its outlying areas. There are usually multiple entrances to one station, signage is in Chinese and English, and one need not to speak to a single soul throughout the journey.

Those who come to live in the city will also get used to the franchised public buses after a while. You pay a fixed fee and only need to press a button to send an “I’d like to alight” signal to the bus driver.

The same can’t be said for Hong Kong’s minibuses. Speeding is common, as are passenger complaints, and the driver may not be in the mood to be especially helpful to someone who doesn’t know where they are going.

The fare can also be confusing for a minibus trip, as it varies according to distance. If you get off at a nearer stop, it costs less than the “full fare”, which is the cost to travel the vehicle’s route from beginning to end. In order to pay a reduced fare, you must inform the driver of your destination immediately upon boarding, and with his approval, you can pay the reduced fare. When your stop approaches, you need to inform the driver in advance, and wait for him to raise a hand to acknowledge that he both heard and understood you.

And this must all be done within hearing distance of as many as 15 other passengers, which can be a challenge for anyone with the natural human aversion to self-embarrassment.

I avoided taking minibuses for the first couple of years after I arrived in Hong Kong in 2013. When I did ride on one, I would pay the full fare, and dread the approach of my stop, afraid to break the silence and practice my poor Cantonese. I hoped that someone else would get off at the same stop as mine, and tell the driver out loud that their stop was coming up.

While I never thought of myself as lodging a complaint directly to a driver, say, for speeding, I can remember vividly an episode during a late evening ride in which a passenger did just that.

A young local man suddenly began to repeat “Please slow down”, in a severe tone. I was baffled at first that he was repeating himself. It took me a while to realize the situation. The driver was silent. Minutes later, the speed shown on the electronic display board went below the maximum limit. Someone had to tell the driver that what he was doing was not right. Only that someone would not be me — not back then, anyway.

Now five years have passed. My Cantonese is passable. I am more relaxed when taking the minibus. During a ride in July, I noticed the driver was exceptionally patient and polite. An elderly woman sitting in the first row chatted with the driver, and asked why he was so nice and patient with passengers. He said he figured it was reciprocal, that you treat others the way you’d like to be treated.

I listened to their conversation, and introspectively examined my place in the encounter. That I eased my mind on a minibus, observant, and unafraid to remind the driver when I needed to get off, may be trivial for those who grew up here. But it is significant for people who came to the city at an older age. The outsider’s emotional distance with my adopted city has not disappeared. It never will. But it has shortened, so much so that I feel almost at home.