Has Hong Kong’s minibus trade reached the end of the road?

For most of his adult life, 67-year-old Chi-hung* has driven a minibus or operated a fleet of the vehicles in Hong Kong, but now the unprofitability of the business is forcing him to end his career.

Earlier this year, he decided to surrender to his bank the last of his once proud fleet of 13 agile minibuses, known for their speed and flexible service, because he could not repay the installments on a loan for HK$20 million (US$2.56 million).