Neoplan Centroliner: История и судьба автобусов в Гонконге

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. The product range of Centroliner included: midibus, full size/articulated single decker, and three axle double decker, in different body lengths. The rigids had 1 door, 2 door or 3 doors whereas the articulated have 2 doors, 3 doors or 4 doors. After the acquisition of Neoplan by MAN AG subsidy MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, a new version of Centroliner full size/articulated single decker was launched, it was also known as Neoplan Centroliner Evolution and was based on MAN Lion's City with different bodywork. After restructuring of MAN's bus division in 2009, Neoplan is concentrating exclusively on luxury coaches and due to that, Centroliner was discontinued without Neoplan branded successor. Instead, MAN promotes Lion's City as its successor.

After KMB put its first 20 Centroliners into service, NWFB announced the order of 30 Neoplan Centroliner N4426/3s in October 1999. They were delivered in 2000 and entered service in 2000/2001. Since 2004, a number of these buses have been suspended from service. Some believe that it is caused by the difficulty in maintenance by NWFB, or due to the fleet quota limit set by the Transport Department of Hong Kong. However, the actual reason is not clearly known. All of them have been put back into the fleet. The last Neoplan Centroliner in NWFB (Fleet numbers 6024, 6027, 6030) was retired in February 2019, indicating that there are no more Neoplan Centroliners in franchised service.

Sun Bus acquired two Neoplan Centroliners (formerly AP144, 146) from Kowloon Motor Bus, so that they could provide high capacity non franchised private hire vehicles. They first appeared as a shuttle for tourists from the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in a KMB gold livery with no logo. In December 2019, former AP146 toppled to its side on the roof of KMB's Lai Chi Kok depot. The bus was repaired and was put back into service two months later. The bus later retired in mid 2020.

One Kowloon Motor Bus owned Centroliner (fleet number AP69) was forced off a viaduct by a lorry on Tuen Mun Road on 10 July 2003 and was subsequently written off. The remains of the bus were then sent to Long Win Bus's depot in Siu Ho Wan for inspection and storage. The remains were finally sold for scrap in 2008. In total, 21 people (20 passengers and a bus driver) were killed in this accident, making this the deadliest road accident in Hong Kong history; it is still yet to be beaten. The lorry driver involved was sentenced to 18 months in jail after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. He later on appealed against the rulings, which were subsequently overturned. He was then found guilty of careless driving, and his sentence was shortened to six months.