PUBLISHED ONJanuary 15, 2026 4:52 AMBYSean LerHere's one way to turn crisis into opportunity.
Some minibus drivers in Hong Kong decided to 'make lemonades out of lemons', when a water main pipe burst near Sha Tin Pass Road and Fung Tak Road in Hong Kong's Wong Tai Sin on Wednesday (Jan 14) night.
Videos posted to social media platform Threads show a water column shooting well over the tops of street lamps in the area. According to Hong Kong's Highway Department, its smart lamp post columns are about 5m high.
Despite the situation, minibus drivers were seen in videos queuing up to pass through the water column. They slowed down as they approached, turning on their windscreen wipers.
Others in the queue waited patiently with no honking heard.
"Queuing for a car wash," wrote one netizen on Threads, with another stating that one could get a "free car wash when passing".
In one video seen by AsiaOne, a passenger banters with the driver as they pass through the jet of water. Initially cautious, she asks the driver to be careful but later laughs at the situation as water rains down on the bus.
@asiaone There’s a saying “make lemonade out of lemons” and it seems Hong Kong minibus drivers are living it out. A main water pipe, near Sha Tin Pass Road and Fung Tak Road in Hong Kong’s Wong Tai Sin, burst on Wednesday (Jan 14) night. Videos on social media show the resulting water column reaching past a lamp post’s height (about 5m). Meanwhile, minibus drivers calmly drives past at slow speed, turning on their wipers to get a “free” car wash. Hong Kong’s Water Supplies Department has since commenced repairs. #news #HongKongNews #Water #Road #CarWash #Bus ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
"Your vehicle is all clean now," she says. To which, the driver mischievously asks: "Is this fun?"
Hong Kong's Water Supplies Department confirmed in a Facebook post at 9.05pm on Wednesday that the incident involved an 800mm diameter water pipe, adding that it would be carrying out emergency repair works.
All repair works were completed at about 7.25am on Thursday morning.
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