NWFB Route 970X

If you’re a student at HKU and you live in Kowloon or the New Territories, you probably rely heavily on the 970 and the 970X to get you to school and back home. I know I definitely do! Both buses have similar routes and they take the Western tunnel rather than the Hung Hom tunnel, which is a lot closer to HKU and also has virtually no traffic.
I normally take the buses near Austin Station and when going home, I alight at the bus stops near Hill Road. The buses run at a good frequency so you normally do not have to wait long if you miss one. I love taking the 970X from HKU — after getting on at Hill Road, the bus heads straight for the Western tunnel and you’ll be in the tunnel within ten minutes of getting on the bus. At peak hours, there is usually a little bit of traffic after getting out of the tunnel, but it’s nothing compared to the jam you would be stuck in it you had taken a bus that takes the cross harbor tunnel route.
The downside though is that if you’re taking the bus at around 5pm, the line for the bus will be insanely long. It will seem like the entire university population is lining up too, and don’t even be surprised if you have to wait for 3 970X’s and a 970 to come and go before you’re finally able to get on.
When I take the 970X to school, there is normally a bit of traffic once the bus exits the tunnel, so it takes around ten minutes from there to get to school.