# KMB Routes 290 and 290A

Air-Conditioned New Territories Route No. 290 and 290A are Hong Kong bus routes operated by Kowloon Motor Bus, plying between Choi Ming Court in Tseung Kwan O and Tsuen Wan West station.
Routeings of the two routes are roughly the same, save for a section within the neighbourhoods of Sau Mau Ping and Sze Shun in Kwun Tong District, New Kowloon, whereas route 290 passes through without any stops, while 290A call at various stops along the way.

## History

Residents of the new town of Tseung Kwan O in New Territories East have been fighting for a direct bus connection to Kwai Chung and Tsuen Wan in New Territories West for many years, citing the reason that travelling by MTR between the two places requires a number of transfers in between. It was under such demand that the Transport Department suggested the introduction of such routes, then unnumbered and proposed to operate between Hang Hau (North) and Tsuen Wan (Nina Tower), in the 2013–2014 Bus Route Development Programme. It was put forward that the route would utilize buses spared by cancelling Cross-Harbour Bus Route 692, which suffered heavy losses in terms of profit for both the KMB and New World First Bus.
The Transport Department confirmed in June 2014 that the route would operate via Sau Ming Road in Sau Mau Ping, and tendering exercise would take place at the end of that month. Such decision sparked opposition from the Sai Kung District Council, which believed that resources spared from the district should not be used to cater for the needs of other districts like Kwun Tong.
The Government thus gave in to the council's demands and offered that the route would be amended to take a more direct routeing via Kwun Tong Bypass, so that it would not serve Sau Mau Ping.
This in turn resulted in the disapproval of Kwun Tong District Council, which threatened that actions would be taken by residents of the districts if such amendments take place.
In October 2014, the Government announced that two variants would be available for the Tseung Kwan O to Tsuen Wan bus route, one skipping the whole of Sau Mau Ping and Sze Shun and one calling at stops within the two neighbourhoods, with the total journey time of 63 and 80 minutes respectively.
Tenders were invited from the existing franchised bus operators for the operation rights of the route a month later. Transport Department confirmed in February 2015 that the then-unnumbered route was awarded to Kowloon Motor Bus, and the company started to operate the two variants, numbered 290 and 290A, on 28 March 2015.

## Fare

290(A)
From Tsuen Wan West Station: $11.3
From Beacon Heights: $9.3
From Pak Hong House Choi Wan Estate $6.6
From Anderson Road $5.4
From Choi Ming Terminus: $11.3
From Po Tat Estate: $9.3
From Lai King Estate Kwai Chong House: $6.0

## Route
### 290(A)

| From Tseung Kwan O (Choi Ming) | From Tseung Kwan O (Choi Ming) | From Tseung Kwan O (Choi Ming) | From Tsuen Wan West Station | From Tsuen Wan West Station | From Tsuen Wan West Station |
| No. | Bus Stops Name | Location | No. | Bus Stops Name | Location |
| 1# | Choi Ming | Bus Terminus | 1 | Tsuen Wan West Station | Bus Terminus |
| 2# | Tong Ming Street Park | Tong Ming Street | 2 | Tai Ho Road | Tai Ho Road |
| 3# | Tseung Kwan O Plaza | Po Yap Road | 3 | Chung On Street | Castle Peak Road Tsuen Wan |
| 4# | Ngan O Road | Ngan O Road | 4 | Tai Wo Hau BBI - Tai Wo Hau Station（A1） | Castle Peak Road Kwai Chung |
| 5# | Pui Shing Road | Pui Shing Road | 5 | Cheung Wing Road Gyratory | Castle Peak Road Kwai Chung |
| 6# | Hau Tak Estate | Po Ning Road | 6 | Kwai Chun Court Kwai Chung Road | Kwai Chung Road |
| 7# | King Lam Estate | Po Lam North Road | 7 | Sun Kwai Hing Garden | Kwai Chung Road |
| 8# | Yan Kong Road | Yan Kong Road | 8 | Kwai Fong Estate | Kwai Chung Road |
| 9# | Leung Kit Wah Primary School | Po Fung Road | 9 | Lai King Estate Kwai Chung Road | Kwai Chung Road |
| 10# | Serenity Place | Po Hong Road | 10 | Beacon Heights | Lung Cheung Road |
| 11# | Tsui Lam Estate | Po Lam North Road | 11 | Phoenix House | Lung Cheung Road |
| 12# | Hong Shing Garden | Po Lam North Road | 12* | Lung Cheung Government School | Lung Cheung Road |
| 13# | Ma Yau Tong Village | Po Lam Road | 13 | Wong Tai Sin BBI - Wong Tai Sin Station（B5） | Lung Cheung Road |
| 14# | Po Tat BBI - Po Tat Estate（H2） | Po Lam Road | 14 | Ngau Chi Wan BBI - Ngau Choi Wan Village（G2） | Lung Cheung Road |
| 15#* | Upper Sau Mau Ping | Hiu Kwong Street | 15 | Pak Hong House Choi Wan Estate | New Clear Water Bay Road |
| ^ | Upper Sau Mau Ping | Bus Terminus | 16* | Kei Shun School | New Clear Water Bay Road |
| 16* | Sau Fai House Sau Mau Ping Estate | Sau Ming Road | 17* | Lee Hong House Shun Lee Estate | Shun Lee Tsuen Road |
| 17* | Sau Fu House Sau Pau Ping Estate | Sau Ming Road | 18* | On Yat House Shun On Estate | Lee On Road |
| 18* | Sau Mau Ping Shopping Centre | Sau Ming Road | 19* | Tin Wan House Shun Tin Estate | Shun On Road |
| 19* | Sau Lok House Sau Mau Ping Estate | Sau Ming Road | 20* | Sau Lok House Sau Mau Ping Estate | Sau Ming Road |
| 20* | Shun Tin | Bus Terminus | 21* | Sau Yat House Sau Mau Ping Estate | Sau Ming Road |
| 21* | Shun On Estate | Lee On Road | 22* | Sau On House Sau Mau Ping Estate | Sau Ming Road |
| 22* | Lee Yip House Shun Lee Estate | Lee On Road | 23* | Upper Sau Mau Ping | Hiu Kwong Street |
| 23* | Lee Hang House Shun Lee Estate | Lee On Road | 24 | Po Tat BBI - Po Tat Estate（N2） | Po Lam Road |
| 24* | Shun Lee Fire Station | Lee On Road | 25 | Anderson Road | Po Lam Road |
| 25 | Pak Hong House Choi Wan Estate | New Clear Water Bay Road | 26 | Ma Yau Tong Estate | Po Lam Road |
| 26 | Ngau Chi Wan BBI - Choi Hung Station (K6) | Ping Shek Terminus | 27 | Ma Wu Tsai | Po Lam Road |
| 27 | Ngau Chi Wan BBI - Hong Ngok House（H2） | Lung Cheung Road | 28 | Hong Shing Garden | Po Lam North Road |
| 28 | Wong Tai Sin BBI - Shatin Pass Road（D1） | Lung Cheung Road | 29 | Tsui Lam Estate | Po Lam North Road |
| 29* | Wing Kwong College | Lung Cheung Road | 30 | Finery Park | Po Hong Road |
| 30 | Phoenix House | Lung Cheung Road | 31 | Po Kim House Po Lam Estate | Po Fung Road |
| 31 | Beacon Heights | Lung Cheung Road | 32 | Yan King Road | Yan King Road |
| 32 | Lai King Estate Kwai Chung Road | Kwai Chung Road | 33 | King Lam Estate | Po Lam North Road |
| 33 | Kwai Fong Plaza | Kwai Chung Road | 34 | Hau Tak Estate | Po Ning Road |
| 34 | Kwong Fai Circuit | Kwai Chung Road | 35 | Chung Wa Road | Chung Wa Road |
| 35 | Kin Tsuen Street | Caste Peak Road Kwai Chung | 36 | Yuk Ming Court | Ngan O Road |
| 36 | Tai Wo Hau BBI - Tai Wo Hau Station (B2) | Caste Peak Road Kwai Chung | 37 | Bauhinia Garden | Po Yap Road |
| 37 | Chung On Street | Castle Peak Road Tsuen Wan | 38 | Tseung Kwan O Station | Tong Chun Street |
| 38 | Tai Ho Road | Tai Ho Road | 39 | Tong Ming Street Park | Tong Ming Street |
| 39 | Tsuen Wan West Station | Bus Terminus | 40 | Choi Fu House Choi Ming Court | King Leng Road |
| | | | 41 | Choi Ming | Bus Terminus |
* Only 290A stops at * station.
The routings of 290 and 290A differ in Sau Mau Ping and Sze Shun. Between Po Tat Estate and Choi Wan Estate, route 290 adopts a direct routing via Sau Mau Ping Road and Shun Lee Tsuen Road, bypassing and not making any stop at the two public housing estates; route 290A enters and makes stops at both Sau Mau Ping and the Sze Shun area, operating via Sau Ming Road, Shun On Road and Lee On Road.
Apart from the above-mentioned section, the routings of the aforementioned routes, as well as their arrangement in stops, are identical to each other.

## Bus Interchange

Like other routes operated by KMB, this route offers a set of bus-bus interchange fare reductions. These fare reductions are applicable for passengers changing from 290 or 290A to other bus routes in Choi Hung, Choi Wan, Wong Tai Sin and Tsuen Wan. This interchange scheme is also applicable to interchanging with routes operated by Long Win Bus in the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung section, as well as NR331 and NR331S, which are non-franchised bus routes providing transportation to Park Island, of which both are operated by Sun Bus.

## Vehicles

This route uses 36 buses.
Vehicles used in routes 290 and 290A :
| Fleet number | License plate number of the bus | Depot | Remarks |
| ATENU85 | SF3707 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU821 | TV3510 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU999 | UB8122 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1232 | UU2854 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1235 | UU4207 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1236 | UU4341 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1237 | UU3857 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Only serves this route on peak hours |
| ATENU1425 | VL4763 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1427 | VL5753 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1435 | VL694 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1438 | VL7098 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Extra bus |
| ATENU1469 | VM5491 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Only serves this route on peak hours |
| ATENU1472 | VM5663 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1496 | VN2313 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Only serves this route on peak hours |
| ATENU1517 | VP8980 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1518 | VP9099 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1519 | VP9485 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1521 | VR270 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Only serves this route on peak hours |
| ATENU1522 | VP9226 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1523 | VR147 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1549 | VR4151 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1550 | VR6208 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1594 | VS4191 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1597 | VS4448 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| 3ATENU102 | UF4283 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| 3ATENU108 | UF5597 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| 3ATENU116 | UF7898 | Teueng Kwan O Depot (K) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU1000 | UB8222 | Kowloon Bay Depot (K) | Extra bus |
| ATENU665 | TP3362 | Tsing Yi Depot (L) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU671 | TP5332 | Tsing Yi Depot (L) | Serves this route full day |
| ATENU672 | TP6099 | Tsing Yi Depot (L) | Serves this route full day |
| 3ATENU91 | UE9290 | Tsing Yi Depot (L) | Serves this route full day |
| 3ATENU152 | UE9558 | Tsing Yi Depot (L) | Serves this route full day |
| 3ATENU148 | UJ1646 | Lai Chi Kok Depot | Serves this route full day |
| 3ATENU195 | VR5799} | Lai Chi Kok Depot | Serves this route full day |
| 3ATENU197 | VR6564 | Lai Chi Kok Depot | Serves this route full day |

## Previous route 290 in Hong Kong

Prior to the introduction of the current route 290, the same number has been applied to a Rennie's Mill – Choi Hung route operated during between 1989 and 1996. Rennie's Mill is the name of Tiu Keng Leng before the area was incorporated into the Tseung Kwan O New Town.
Coincidentally, the routeings of the 1989–1996 and 2015- versions of 290 are the same between Ma Yau Tong Village and Choi Hung station.