The Road Traffic (Public Omnibus, Public Light Bus and Public Car) Regulations, which were made under the old Road Traffic Ordinance (Chapter 220) and revoked on 25 August 1984, had three main functions :-
4
(1) to regulate the use of public buses, public
light buses and public cars;
(2)
(3)
to provide for the duties of bus operators and their employees; and
to give bus operators appropriate and adequate powers to regulate
to regulate the conduct of passengers and intending passengers using public buses.
The revoked regulations referred to in paragraph 3 above, were replaced by
by the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, which were made under the new Road Traffic Ordinance (Chapter 374) and which came into operation
on
25 August 1984. The new regulations contain provisions similar to the revoked ones except that they do not apply to franchised buses. The intention was to transfer all the necessary provisions concerning franchised buses to the Public Bus Services Regulations yet to be made under the Public Bus Services Ordinance (Chapter 230).
5
Most of the provisions of the revoked regulations in respect of franchised buses are now provided for under the Public Bus Services Regulations, which became effective on 29 August 1984. However, the provisions in the latter set
of regulations dealing with the payment of fares and the conduct of bus passengers and intending passengers are not as extensive as the corresponding provisions in the revoked regulations. This is because at that time it was proposed, at the request of the franchised bus companies, that such provisions should be included in their respective by-laws rather than the regulations. Subsequently, however,
however, the bus companies accepted the view that it is more appropriate for the Public Bus Services Regulations rather than the by-laws to provide for these matters. This will permit such provisions to apply to all franchised bus companies without exception and variations, which cannot be achieved if they are
are dealt with under by-laws to be made by individual companies. Furthermore, the reinstatement of these provisions to the Public Services Regulations would also solve the enforcement problems in respect of the conduct of passengers/intending passengers, that have already arisen since their enactment last August.
Bus
G.F. 324