Bedbugs were recently found on an intercity shuttle service between Hong Kong and Macau, after sightings of the insect were first spotted on the city’s local public transport in November amid a global infestation.

The incident happened on Dec 12 on a double-decker bus from Hong Kong to Macau at 11.55pm, according to an online notice by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus service.

Facebook user Moxa Bird, who was bitten by the bedbugs, as was his wife, wrote in a post that they later found more than 10 bugs in his windbreaker and their shoes after alighting from their 45-minute ride.

“It was a scary experience. The bugs were of various sizes, and I used my nails to kill them immediately,” he said, adding that he had to throw away his clothes and shoes before he felt it was safe to board his car.

“When we arrived back home, we inspected my wife’s shoes and found more bugs.”

HZMB said it immediately conducted pest control and sanitised all operating vehicles to provide passengers a comfortable riding environment.

“Our company will increase the frequency of disinfection and in-vehicle hygiene inspections,” the notice said.

In November, these brown, oval-shaped insects that cause severe itching were spotted on an Airport Express train seat and on a local bus parked at Lai Chi Kok depot, reported Hong Kong English-language daily The Standard.

Countries such as South Korea, France and Britain have also reported bedbug infestations in recent months.