194
COMMUNICATIONS
passengers were carried on buses, trains and ferries, an increase of 0.8 per cent. (See Appendix XXXVIII.)
The Transport Advisory Committee, which was formed in December 1965 and combines the functions of both the former Advisory Committee on Public Transport and the Traffic Advisory Committee, continued to study transport problems within the Colony and to offer constructive advice to the government and the transport companies on the planning of services to meet present and future needs.
Bus services in Kowloon and the New Territories are operated by The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited. At the end of 1966 their fleet totalled 1,055 vehicles, comprising 605 double- deck buses and 450 single-deck buses. During the year 75 buses were added to the fleet and 18 older buses were taken off passenger service. Passenger carrying capacity was 78,266 persons, an increase of 11.6 per cent. All double-deck buses are equipped with power- operated doors and a connected system of warning bells. During the year 642.7 million passengers were carried and 47.2 million miles were covered by the company's buses, increases of 8.34 per cent and 3.69 per cent respectively over the previous year. At the end of the year the company was operating a total of 65 routes (39 in Kowloon and 26 in the New Territories). With the additional new buses, many existing services were improved by increased frequencies, extended hours of service, and the introduction of supplementary trips during peak hours. The construction pro- gramme for three-storey bus depots was completed during the year, two depots commissioned in 1965 being joined by a third. Accom- modating over 1,000 buses, these depots are believed to be the first multi-storey double-decker bus depots in the world.
1.
Bus services on Hong Kong Island are run by the China Motor Bus Company Limited which has 498 vehicles, comprising 397 single-deck and 101 double-deck buses. The total mid-year passenger- carrying capacity of buses was 27,920 persons, an increase of 14.4 per cent over 1965. In 1966 they carried 186.6 million passengers and covered 18.7 million miles, an increase of 10.2 per cent and 12.6 per cent respectively over 1965. Orders for more buses were placed during the year. The company was operating a total of 31 routes at the end of the year, including two holiday services and