Sunshine University Shuttle Bus Route U47 is a non-franchised bus route operated by Sunshine University, which is contracted to Forever Transit, Forever Transit Central Connect and City Scape Bus. It runs between Hotel Symbol and North Sunshine University, via Sunshine University Southern Campus and Sunshine University Main Campus.
Overview[]
The purpose of this route is to provide shuttle services within Sunshine University's Main Campus, and connect the main campus at University Island, the sub-campus at Southern Central, and Hotel Symbol with non-stop direct service. Hotel Symbol is likely to be the dormitory of Sunshine University student and a teaching facility for Hotel Management students at the University (similar to the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong hotel within the Hong Kong Chinese University campus in reality).
This route only provides services to Sunshine University staff and students - service is not available for the general public. Therefore, the route does not serve local stops (running express) between both of Sunshine University's campuses. Alternative routes for non-SU staff or students are route 47 which serve local stops between the two campuses. Visitors are not allowed to take shuttle service within the campus as well.
History[]
- Date TBA: Route U47's information was uploaded onto the SI website, with stop signs of U47 added at the Sunshine University main entrance bus stop. Opening date was announced to be March 20 on the website, but then the opening date postponed for multiple times afterwards. By mid July 2020, the route was still not opened, and some people have started suspected that this route has already become a vaporware.
- 13/7/2020: addisonshiu posted on the Official Sunshine Islands Discord that a new update will be released on 25/7/2020, containing "a few new routes", and someone anticipated that U47 would be one of them.
- 14/7/2020: addisonshiu posts on the Discord again, this time saying that "New routes contain a number '47', leading to more anticipation that U47 will begin operation upon the release of the update.
- 25/7/2020: The July update is released, with the new route containing the number 47 as mentioned being 476 and 475A but not U47.
- 12/8/2020: addisonshiu announces the release of the Two Million Update for 23 August, which will likely have the route change its commencement to August 23.
- 15/08/2020: AddisonShiu asks for volunteers to help make destination board signs for route U47 as part of the ongoing community project, practically confirming the route will begin service as of the Two Million Update on 23 August.
- 19/8/2020: addisonshiu formally announces the U47 Update's release date to be 23/8/2020 in a photo posted on the Discord server. Also featured in the photo is a NWFB Alexander Dennis Enviro500 on route U47, in a revamped version of the Sunshine University campus.
- 23/8/2020: Routing details are finalized, and service begins at 10:00 pm HKT, along with the opening of the rebuilt University Island and SU Main Campus.
- 01/06/2024: Sunshine Islands Bus begins operations on this route after the cessation of Sunshine Express; CSB is also permitted to operate franchised buses as deemed necessary. Last departure of this route has been adjusted to 19:30 and 20:50, and departures via Residences and Sports Field become daily service.
- 29/06/2024: Forever Transit Central Connect and Forever Transit begin operations on this route, using franchised buses. This also removed the Sunshine Islands Government's direct involvement in scheduled bus operations, as they had been operating services on this route for almost four years.
Timetable[]
| From Hotel Symbol | |
|---|---|
| Hour | Minutes |
| Monday to Friday | |
| 08 | 45 |
| 09 - 15 | 00, 15, 30, 45 |
| 16 - 17 | 00, 15, 30, 45 |
| 18 - 19 | 00, 30 |
| Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays | |
| 09 - 15 | 00 |
| 16 - 19 | 00 |
| 20 | 30 |
| From Sunshine University | |
|---|---|
| Hour | Minutes |
| Monday to Friday | |
| 08 | 15, 45 |
| 09 - 15 | 00, 15, 30, 45 |
| 16 - 17 | 00, 15, 30, 45 |
| 18 - 19 | 00, 30 |
| Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays | |
| 08 | 15, 45 |
| 09 - 15 | 30 |
| 16 - 19 | 30 |
Departures with underline will via Residences and Sports Field
Fares[]
Though there are no fares on this route, passengers must present a valid Sunshine University Staff ID card or Student ID card to the driver when boarding. When riding franchised buses, both doors may be used to board/exit the bus.
Vehicles[]
Currently City Scape Bus only deploys its Scania K360IB (inaccessible due to high floor) on this route, while its franchised fleet was not originally intended for U47 service. Therefore, the destination displays on vehicles not allocated to this route do not have U47 signage. For their Dennis Darts, they do not have rollsign exposures for the termini on this route, although they have the route number. As of June 1, 2024, CSB has been permitted to operate franchised buses on this route following the cessation of Sunshine Express operations. Forever Transit and FT Central Connect also runs some of its franchised buses on the route where possible as of June 29, 2024.
Sunshine Express used to operated Scania K360IBs with a 3+2 seating layout, with a total capacity of 65 passengers.
To deal with extremely heavy passenger loads during school hours, Sunshine Islands Bus deployed Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double deckers on this route to increase passenger capacity, as the coaches are not permitted to carry standees. The coaches assigned to the route are also not accessible to wheelchairs. Kowloon Motor Bus-specification Enviro500 MMCs were also added starting with the 2022 April Fool's Update, again, to provide increased capacity at peak times until June 28, 2024. This role has been mostly replaced by spare buses from CSB's and Forever Transit's franchised fleets.
In the future, it is unknown if City Scape Bus and Forever Transit will reallocate older models, such as the Dennis Dart and other buses reaching their franchised life limits to provide increased service capacity on the route.
Stops[]
Northbound to Sunshine University (Main Campus)[]
| FT/FTCC/CSB Bus Route U47 (Hotel Symbol → Sunshine University (Main Campus)) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop Number | Place | Street Name | Stop Name (English) | Stop Name (Chinese) | Notes |
| 1 | Zone 4
(Southern) |
Sunshine Road | Hotel Symbol | 旭濤薈 | |
| 2 | Southern Road | Sunshine University Southern Campus | 陽光大學南環校園 | Timing Point: Departs 5 mins after departing from Hotel symbol | |
| Non-stop Direct Access To Main Campus | |||||
| 3 | Zone 4
(University Island) |
University Road | Sunshine University Main Campus | 陽光大學本部 | Departs at approximately 8 mins after departing from Hotel Symbol Located at the Main Entrance franchised services loop |
| 4 | Campus Circuit | Central- Sunshine University | 陽光大學中 | ||
| ＊
4A/4B |
Zone 4
(University Island) |
Campus Circuit | Sunshine University Residences | 陽光大學宿舍 | Departures via Residences and Sports Field Only |
| Sunshine University Sports Field | 陽光大學運動場 | ||||
| 5 | Zone 4
(University Island) |
Central Ave | Sunshine University Main Campus | 陽光大學本部 | Departs at approximately 10 mins after departing from Hotel symbol |
| 6 | University Road | X.Y.Zhen College | 甄博士樓 | ||
| 7 | North Sunshine University | 陽光大學北 | |||
Southbound to Hotel Symbol[]
| FT/FTCC/CSB Bus Route U47 (Sunshine University (Main Campus) → Hotel Symbol) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop Number | Place | Street Name | Stop Name (English) | Stop Name (Chinese) | Notes |
| 1 | Zone 4
(University Island) |
University Road | North Sunshine University | 陽光大學北 | |
| 2 | X.Y.Zhen College | 甄博士樓 | Departs at approximately 1 mins after departing from North Sunshine University | ||
| 3 | Campus Circuit | Central- Sunshine University | 陽光大學中 | Departs at approximately 3 mins after departing from North Sunshine University | |
| ＊
3A/3B |
Zone 4
(University Island) |
Campus Circuit | Sunshine University Sports Field | 陽光大學運動場 | Departures via Residences and Sports Field Only |
| Sunshine University Residences | 陽光大學宿舍 | ||||
| 4 | Zone 4
(University Island) |
University Road | Sunshine University Main Campus | 陽光大學本部 | Departs at approximately 5 mins after departing from North Sunshine University Located at the Main Entrance franchised services loop |
| Non-stop Direct Access To Southern Campus | |||||
| 5 | Zone 4
(Southern) |
Southern Road | Sunshine University Southern Campus | 陽光大學南環校園 | |
| 6 | Sunshine Road | Hotel Symbol | 旭濤薈 | ||
Note: According to the in-game guides, this route's official routing travels via Moon Island Bypass and Eastmallow for trips to Sunshine University, and Central Road for trips to Hotel Symbol. However, as there are no stops between SU Main Campus and Southern Campus, drivers can choose several routes. Some of these are:
- Moon Island Bypass > South Central Road > Central Road > Southern Road (rarely used due to longer distance)
- Central Road > Southern Road (Official routing)
- Brown Street > Verizon Road > Central Road > Southern Road (usually chosen by drivers when Central Road has congestion)
Buses will not stop at Eastmallow Praya Road and Sunshine Station to drop off/pick up passengers.
Note: When buses' next stop is Sunshine University Southern Campus, it would appear as Southern (南環) on the screens. This has been fixed with the standardized announcements and upcoming stops will display properly on all buses.
Usage Status[]
Since this route is the only non-franchised service in the Islands other than CSB's employee shuttles and private hire routes, it can be common during peak hours for buses to become full within the main campus with people headed to and from classes. Outside of these times, services are not as busy except between class changes. The route sees decent traffic although it has considerably less stops compared to local routes that service the same area.
In addition, since the coach assigned to U47 does not permit standing once all seats are taken, additional trips can be operated using franchised buses, SIB Enviro500s and SIB Enviro500 MMCs as deemed fit by Sunshine Islands Bus. Starting from 1 June 2024, FT and CSB are allowed to deploy franchised vehicles on this route.
Trivia[]
- This route has been rumoured to open along with the Central West Bus Terminus and the rest of the Central West area. Although the rumours can not be verified, they are likely to be true as the Central West area is practically complete and ready to be released. However when this route was officially released, Central West is still not opened, and it is also unknown when it would be released.
- This route also comes with a revamp of the Sunshine University campus, as the campus building has not been updated since its opening in 2018. However, as previously stated, it will be added with the 2 Million Visit update on August 23, 2020.
- This route will be the first in the Islands to be provided by a real life company as part of the community project and also not be part of a franchise.
- Though this route is operated by FT, FTCC and CSB, instead of using their normal bus stop signs, only paper signs using destination codes are used as stop signs as the route is not available for the general public. This was also applicable when the route was operated by Sunshine Express/Sunshine Islands Bus.
- It was once rumoured that Lee Kwan Tours (which depicts an real life coach operator with the same name in Hong Kong), providing irregular sightseeing and joyride services in West Door City, another Hong Kong-based bus driving game in Roblox, will operate this route. This rumour surfaced after a SI admin spawned a Lee Kwan coach from addisonshiu's inventory and found U47 signage; using window cards with the same codes as the bus stops. However, due to unknown reasons, Lee Kwan's application for the tender was declined; the tender was awarded to Sunshine Express' and City Scape Bus' coach division along with New World First Bus.
- In Version 1 of the game, you would sometime see card tapping animations by passengers, as this was standard with the in-game programming. This has been fixed as of Version 2. Passengers will not tap or deposit coins/tickets into the farebox when boarding the bus if no fare is charged, especially with the addition of scheduled private hire services as Daily Challenges.
- This route is the only route completely outside of Zone 7 which is operated by CSB.
- If you drive a franchised CSB bus on this route, the exterior displays will show the CSB logo as they do not have the EDS data for this route. For the Dennis Dart, the rollsign will only show the route number with no destination.
Gallery[]
.png "RobloxScreenShot20200827 160214993 (2).png (511 KB)")
Official Link[]
- Route Info from official Sunshine Islands website: U47 (bus stop list is not up to date)
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