If you live in Sha Tin, bus number 182 is probably no stranger to you. This bus runs from Sha Tin all the way to Central, making stops at Causeway Bay, Wan Chai and Admiralty on its way, and hitting the same stops on the way back. When I first moved to Sha Tin and started taking this bus, the frequency at which it comes astounded me - I could miss it and only be annoyed at myself for a mere ten minutes - often less, actually - before another one starts to come my way! You never have to wait long for a 182, I can assure you.
Taking the 182 all the way from Central back to Sha Tin, sans traffic, is actually one of my favorite ways to return home. I normally alight at Statue Square, which is, in my opinion, a better place to wait for a bus than at the stops before it because those are the busiest parts of Des Voeux Road Central. Getting on there - well, basically at or anywhere before the last stop of Wan Chai, should secure you a seat. If it's peak hour, there's no helping it but there will be insane traffic jam, especially when the bus gets to Hennessy Road and close to the Cross Harbour Tunnel. You might think that the jam's over once you get over to Kowloon side, but you're wrong! All these jams will buy me about an hour-long nap, which feels amazing after a long day.
When there isn't a jam, you can get from Central to Sha Tin in, I would say, less than forty minutes. That's still a longer duration than if you were to take the MTR, but the bus is a much more comfortable option. There's no need to make all those interchanges, and it's pretty hard to get a seat on the MTR even when it isn't rush hour. With the bus, you get to sit comfortably the whole ride and you don't have to do any walking once you're on it!
But at $16, taking the 182 is quite a bit more expensive than taking my usual route, which is a bus to Hung Hom and then taking the train. The bus is normally $9.3 and taking the train is less than $3 (thank you, student discounts!), so I save a little this way. This route is much faster at peak hours too than taking the 182, because while there's no avoiding the jam to, and through, the Cross Harbour Tunnel, at least there won't be that ridiculous traffic at Kowloon Tong! It's a matter of opinion, really - but while the 182 has its merits, I would prefer to change to taking the train at Hung Hom to avoid that rush hour traffic! read more