Not too many people remember that the HK Island No 3 bus line used to be called “No. 3 HKU”. This was changed to “No. 3 Pokfield Rd” in late 1963 when the terminal was moved to the part of PokFuLam Road near the junction with Pokfield Road. So, where exactly was the old “No. 3 HKU” bus terminal?
The photo above provides the answer. Before November 1963, the No 3 bus terminal was actually at the entrance to Hill Road at the junction between Bonham Road and Pokfulam Road. When the No. 3 bus came in from Bonham Road, instead of continuing to Pokfulam Road, it would make a turn and stop in front of Saint Anthony Church and let everyone off the bus. Afterwards, the bus driver would back the bus into Hill Road and park the bus to the side of the road. The driver and the conductor (the one selling tickets to the passengers) would then get off the bus and would have a cup of coffee or tea. It so happened that at the narrow strip of pavement between Hill Road and Pokfulam Road, there was a small roadside makeshift cafe, catering mainly to this bus drivers’ need. This café sold cookies and Hong Kong style coffee which came with sugar and condensed milk, no other choice. There was a large banyan tree next to this roadside cafe and so it became an ideal place for the bus drivers to escape the hot sun and the heat in the shade. Remember, back then the public bus did not have air conditioning. So, for about 15 minutes, the bus drivers got to enjoy the breeze under the banyan tree before they would hop back on the bus on the return trip back to the vehicular ferry pier at the Central.
In November 1963, China Motor Bus Company decided to move the No 3 bus terminal from Hill Road to about a mile further at Pokfulam Road near the junction between Pokfulam Road and Pokfield Road. The exact reason for the move is not known (to me) and from that point onwards, the No 3 bus banner was changed from “No. 3 HKU” to “No. 3 Pokfield Rd”. Soon after the No. 3 terminal was moved, the roadside store was gone too. In the early seventies, the junction between Bonham Road and Pokfulam Road underwent a major renovation with road widening and overpasses. As a result, any remnant of this old No 3 bus terminal such as the roadside cafe and the banyan tree are long gone.
The photo above shows Saint Anthony Church is at the center. The HKU's Luk Yew Hall is at the upper left-hand corner. The road transversing the photo from the lower left-hand corner to the upper right-hand corner is Pokfulam Road. Hill Road is the road running parallel to Pokfulam Road in the upper right-hand side of the photo. In the photo, there were two No. 3 buses in front of Saint Anthony Church and you can also see a number of No.3 buses parking along the side of Hill Road.