A 33-year-old passenger became unresponsive on the upper deck of a 61M bus, which was returned to its depot without anyone noticing him, an inquest heard. He was found the following morning, taken to hospital and certified dead that day.
The passenger boarded the bus at about 1am on 6 March 2025 and was found at about 7am that same day. Another passenger alerted the early-shift driver, who stopped to investigate and found him sitting around the third row from the rear. The driver said he received no response after tapping the passenger and called the police and an ambulance.
The night-shift driver told the inquest that he had returned the bus to the depot without checking the upper-deck seats. He said he would normally inspect the vehicle only if there was a special circumstance, such as vomit. He was suspended for two months after the incident and later left the company, according to the reports.
After the bus arrived, an engineering employee said he moved it into the depot. He said buses returning there were not all cleaned unless staff received a specific instruction.
The early-shift driver also described the limits of the bus's CCTV system. He said the camera turned towards the doors when they opened, while its remaining view covered only the rear three or four rows behind the stairs. Drivers could not adjust the camera angle, and he said the passenger's position might therefore have been outside its view.
An ambulance officer told the hearing that the passenger had no breathing or pulse when found. Rescuers performed CPR, used a defibrillator and administered adrenaline before he was taken to Tuen Mun Hospital at about 8am. An emergency-room doctor said he was certified dead at 8:33am.
The death inquest opened on 24 September 2026 before a jury of three men and two women. The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd was an interested party, and the passenger's family attended. The hearing was due to continue the following day.