Bedbugs have been discovered on the intercity shuttle service between Macao and Hong Kong, prompting the Golden Bus company to disinfect its entire fleet, TDM reports.
The company confirmed that passengers found the blood-sucking insects aboard bus number FF9736, which departed Hong Kong just before midnight on 12 December.
It said it immediately launched pest control measures and that hygiene inspections of buses would be increased.
One passenger on the infested bus posted about his experience on Facebook, describing how he used his fingernails to kill bedbugs of “various sizes,” the Straits Times reported.
[See more: How to get the bus from Macao to Hong Kong Airport (and vice versa)]
He said he and his wife found “more than 10 bugs” in their clothing and shoes after arriving in Macao, and felt compelled to throw the items away. “It was a scary experience,” he posted.
Bedbugs were reportedly spotted on public transport in Hong Kong in November, while serious bedbug infestations around the world recently led to Macao’s Health Bureau (SSM) issuing a warning to travellers.
It urged people to thoroughly inspect their accommodation’s beds, pillows, mattresses and upholstered furniture for the reddish-brown, apple seed-shaped bugs, their pearly eggs, and pale yellow nymphs.
While bed bugs are not known to spread disease, their bites are intensely itchy and can cause allergic reactions.
