The Life of a Bus Driver

Gordon Wong, BFA 2021

a person stand sin front of a double decker bus

 

Buses have brought me a lot of great memories throughout my life. I loved riding buses when I was a kid, watching people crowd onboard, and seeing the great views around Hong Kong. I also loved looking at different models of buses, each is unique. When I was seven, my dad gave me a toy bus, and that started my huge collection. At age of twelve, I started to shoot photos of buses. This is a popular hobby in Hong Kong called “Bus Fanning”. Bus fanners make photos of special busses, various models and colors, around Hong Kong. Sometimes they ride special buses but mostly bus fanners collect photographs of buses. My photo collection has grown to over 20,000 images and each represents something special and unique. My photos are made from specific angles and focal lengths. That photographic style reflects the aesthetic and culture of “Bus Fanning”. 

 When I traveled to Seattle to start my career at Seattle University, I discovered the buses around the city. This inspired me to make a new collection of photographs and I made over 10,000 images of Seattle buses. Living in Seattle gave me the opportunity to learn about a different bus culture and to see new bus models that don’t exist in Hong Kong.  

 

Photograph of double-decker bus on street in Hong Kong

photo mosaic of different double decker busses

 

The pandemic completely changed my university life when courses went all online.  I went back to Hong Kong to complete my degree in photography. Given my interest in buses, I  also decided to apply to be a bus driver in Hong Kong, completing my childhood dream. 

Hong Kong has four major bus companies. They transport over 3 million people a day around Hong Kong. Being a bus driver in Hong Kong is not easy. The busses are crowded all the time and they are very big.  When I started training to drive a bus the most challenging part was turning the bus into the small street corners.  

Sometimes when I see bus fanners while I am on duty, I will slow down to let them get a great picture of the bus.  I understand that it is not easy to make a good one with the right angle. I also know how disappointing it is when you miss the perfect shot of a special bus. Slowing down for bus fanners is the best way to make bus fanners happy and get what they want. Being a bus driver has changed my perspective about bus fanners. This hobby has a long history in Hong Kong and it is a special part of our culture.  

I love being a bus driver. This photography project reflects my view of buses from both the outside as a bus fanner and the inside as a bus driver. 

photograph of toy busses

photograph of toy busses

photograph of two busses in a city

Drivers learned to drive 2 complete routes. We also have to learn the complexity of bus technologies. Every bus has a computer.

We learn to serve our passengers, and learn how to keep them safe, and we learn how to drive in the city. The buses are technological advanced.

photograph of a double decker bus on a tree lined street

a double decker bus in from of highrise buildings in a city

photograph of a double decker bus on a tree lined street

photograph of a double decker bus on a tree lined street

photograph of a double decker bus in a city at night

Over 3 million people ride the bus every day.

photograph of a double decker bus in a city at night with a line of people waiting


Bus service runs 24 hours a day.

Most of the time they are packed.

In the small hours of the night, it is more quiet.

 

 

 

a person looking to the left out a window on a bus with plush seats

photograph of the interior of a bus at night

photograph of a double decker bus with leafy trees

photograph of a bus in a city at night

 

Some buses park overnight in the streets, and drivers need to take a shuttle to find them in the early morning.

Our shift starts at the operation base. After signing in, we search for our assigned bus.

photograph of a series of double decker bus in a line on a street

photograph of the front of a double decker bus

photograph of the rear of a double decker bus

photograph of the side of a double decker bus

Before we start driving, we walk around the bus, and check for damage.

photograph of the side of a double decker bus

If all looks good, we climb abroad and prepare to start work.


Inside the bus, drivers double check the seats, and see if the air conditioning is working.

 

 


Photograph from the back of a bus looking down the aisle

photograph of the interior of a bus looking down the aisle from the front

photograph of bus seats in the daylight

photograph of the interior of an empty bus at night with rows of seats

photograph of bus seats

photograph of the interior of a bus with empty seats


There are over 100 terminus supervisor offices throughout the city.

Supervisor are responsible for drivers’ schedules, and handle problems that occur on our routes.

 

photograph of bus stands

photograph of a double decker bus in a city

Each terminus also has a break room for staff and driver.

The break rooms are small, but it contains desks, chairs, microwaves, and refrigerators.

photograph of a busses at a fuling station

photograph of two busses at a y shaped intersection

photograph of a bus schedule

 

Bus captains are provided a chart explaining the warning lights on the dashboard.

 

photograph of a bus schedule

Photograph of the controls of a bus

photograph of the front side of a bus heading in one direction and a second bus further away heading in the other direction

photograph of two busses heading away

photograph of the front of a double decker bus

photograph of two busses

photograph of the side of a bus with a line of people waiting

people gettin off a bus at a building

photograph of a person under a covered area with a bus in the background

photograph of a bus stop

 

photograph of bus interior detail

 

 

Bus stops are equipped with a screen showing the estimated time of the next bus arriving at the bus stop.

Dashboard and steering wheel from the interior of a bus

photograph of a sign inside of a bus

Interior of a bus

photograph of a sticker on the interior of a bus

Identification information plaque on interior of a bus

photograph of a sign inside of a bus

photograph of emergency instructions on the interior of a bus

photograph of the front of a double decker bus taken at an angle

Photograph of a bus wheel

photograph of two busses as one turns a corner

photograph of a detail of a bus

photograph of a bus in a city

photograph of a bus in a city

 

Traffic light cameras are one of the scariest parts of being a bus driver.

Drivers must be sure to make the light with a specific speed to avoid getting a ticket. 

 

 

photograph of a bus in a city

photograph of a control inside of a bus

 

The bus is also equipped with sensors to warn

the drivers when they fall asleep.

 

 

 

 

Photograph of the controls of a bus

photograph of people and a bus

 

This bus has a special edition of paint job in the early 1990s.

Bus fanners are excited to add this into their collection.

photograph of the interior bus emergency exit