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Hong Kong living with dogs

KMB Pet-Friendly Bus in Hong Kong: routes, fares, and how to ride with your dog

What the KMB pet-friendly bus is, how the PB and PBN routes work, what the fare is per person-and-pet, the booking flow on App 1933, and the responsible-pet-owner rules you need to know.

Source: Exploring Dogs — KMB Pet-Friendly Bus explainer (Jun 2025); KMB App 1933 ↗
Open parkland — a stand-in for the wide views seen on KMB's pet-friendly day routes

Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) launched Hong Kong’s first dedicated pet-friendly bus service in October 2024. As of the most recent Exploring Dogs walkthrough (June 2025) the network has six day routes (PB1–PB6) and four night routes (PBN1–PBN4), running on weekends and public holidays and reaching pet-friendly destinations such as West Kowloon, Hong Kong Science Park and Sai Kung.

This is the dogdoghk rewrite — same service, restructured around the questions we get asked. We have not independently verified the latest fare or frequency; treat the figures below as “as last reported” and recheck on KMB’s app before you travel.

What the PB routes actually are

The day routes are marketed as PB1–PB6 (and PBN1–PBN4 at night). They serve:

  • A city-from-one-coast-to-the-other spine — West Kowloon ↔ Central and adjacent waterfront parks.
  • Hong Kong Science Park in Sha Tin, which pairs well with a riverside walk.
  • Sai Kung town and the dips to Ma Wan — a destination most non-drivers cannot reach conveniently without a taxi.
  • The app labels some PB routes as “PBN” for night variants; the bus is the same vehicle class, just timed for evening outings.

A common complaint from non-drivers is that no single KMB bus goes pet-friendly from Central directly into the deepest New Territories. The pet network still covers more of Hong Kong for less than a taxi, and hop-on-hop-off means you can stitch two or three stops in a single day.

How the fare works

Per the original walkthrough (figures as last reported, reconfirm on App 1933):

  • HK$60 for one person + one pet for a single PB route, hop-on-hop-off all day.
  • HK$90 for the All-Day Pass covering all pet-friendly routes (one person + one pet).
  • Two people + one pet — HK$90 for a single route, HK$135 for the All-Day Pass.

These prices are per person-and-pet pair, not per dog. The pass is still the deal if you plan to take more than one route. Check the live price when you book — fares and pass mechanics have changed since launch.

Booking is mandatory

You cannot rock up to a bus stop and pay with cash or Octopus. Tickets must be purchased in advance through:

You can book on the day of travel, even an hour before departure. After purchase, you receive two emails — an invoice and a confirmation email with a QR code to present to the driver on boarding. The App 1933 experience is slower than CitybusNWFB or the MTR app; give it a few seconds to load.

Departure times and how to read them

Each route shows several departure times. As an example, the original walkthrough uses PB2 (Ma Wan):

  • Listed times — 10:45 / 12:45 / 14:45 / 16:45 / 18:45 — are the departure times from the top of the route (Ma Wan).
  • The app then gives an estimated arrival time at each downstream stop.
  • For a Central (中環海濱) → Ma Wan run, the first bus from Central is roughly 12:00 (about 1 hr 15 min after the 10:45 Ma Wan departure).

Practical tips:

  • Arrive 5–10 minutes early at the boarding stop. The Bluetooth ETA in the app is unreliable.
  • Confirm the direction. Most routes have a “loop” feel — confirm whether the bus is going up or down the route before you board.
  • Bring a printed or screen-saved QR code. Mobile signal at the curb is not always reliable.

Responsible-pet-owner rules on board

KMB publishes pet rules; the practical summary, blended with the original guide:

  • One pet per registered passenger is the working pattern. Couples are normally priced as “two-people-one-pet” — read the booking tee carefully.
  • Pets must be controlled — leash, carrier, or held for the duration of the trip. Large dogs typically ride on the floor at the owner’s feet; small dogs and cats in a carrier.
  • Muzzle if needed. If your dog is reactive, anxious, or simply not used to 30–50 minute bus rides, a basket muzzle is kinder than a “we’ll see how it goes”.
  • Potty before you board. If your dog is not reliably trained, walk them first or use a wrap/diaper for the ride.
  • Clean up. Carry waste bags and a small towel. If there is an accident, alert the driver.
  • Keep a row spacing. Drivers are encouraged to leave a row between pet pairs when possible — be patient if seating is full.

A handy pairing with our dog-friendly pages

The pet bus is only useful if the destination accepts dogs. A few pairings we have already covered:

A short honest-take

The KMB pet-friendly bus is the single most practical pet-transport change in Hong Kong since the MTR relaxed its carrier rules. It is also:

  • Not a taxi. It is a weekend service on a fixed schedule. It will not run in a typhoon.
  • Not first-come-first-served. All seats are by booking, which means you can plan ahead but also that the popular departure times sell out.
  • Not free for tour groups. At a HK$60–HK$90 per pair price, it is genuinely cheaper than a taxi for a multi-stop day, but do not cost it as zero.

If you have a Hong Kong dog-friendly tip that the original guide missed, drop it in the comments — we update the article whenever the routes or fares change.

Sources