We love 99bus, Hong Kong's unique answer to accessible, pet-friendly transportation. Pawshake pet sitters of Hong Kong - have you ever used this wonderful service?
This week we have the pleasure of chatting to Kamric, the founder of 99bus and a true Hong Kong pet hero!
1) Firstly, can you introduce yourself and your role at 99bus?
I am Kamric To - founder and representative of 99bus.
2) Can you briefly explain what 99bus is and how it works for pet owners?
Most of the Hong Kong transportation does not allow pets to get onboard, but Hong Kong has many pet lovers! According to 2011 government statistics, 166,500 Hong Kong families have dogs, representing 7.1 percent of all households in the territory. They find it difficult to take their pets around the city, but they do want to. Therefore we founded 99bus in 2012, aiming to make it more convenient for people to take their pets with them around the city.
3) How did 99bus begin?
As a dog owner, I faced the difficulty of trying to take my pets somewhere, yet most of the local transportation did not allow pets to onboard. The idea of a pet bus began here.
In 2012, we started 99bus as a campaign. We make a 99bus promotion video and shared it on Facebook and Youtube and it went viral on the internet and the media. After that, we got lots of support for this campaign. Then we did the first 99bus trial run in September 2012.
4) Hong Kong has been described as not a very pet friendly place - have you seen any improvement in the rights of pets and their owners in the time you've lived here?
In my experience of running 99bus over 5 years I've seen that many Hong Kong people are pet lovers. However, the public policy to animals is still being left behind, causing Hong Kong to be not a very pet friendly place. However, as many pet organisation are being established, the rights of pets are getting much more awareness.
We hope 99Bus will help change the mindset of many Hong Kong people towards pets in public areas, and encourage them not to discriminate against pet owners using public transportation. And ultimately we hope we can achieve the goal of humans and pets being able to share open space equally
5) Do you have any exciting plans for the future of 99bus
We have a crazy idea of a 99bus world tour - a bus with pets and travelling around the world! This a is dream, but I believe it will happen soon.
Check out the 99bus Facebook Page and Website for more information!
