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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1974
TRANSPORT DEPT. KEPT BUSY BY LEARNER DRIVERS
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THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT HAS CONDUCTED MORE THAN 95.500 WRITTEN AND PRACTICAL DRIVING TESTS DURING THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR.
OF THESE, 28,000 WERE WRITTEN TESTS AND 35,500 WERE COMBINED ROAD TESTS, BOTH FOR PRIVATE CAR DRIVING LICENCES. THE OTHERS WERE FOR LICENCES TO DRIVE MOTOR CYCLES, ALL GOODS VEHICLES, TAXIS AND PUBLIC CARS, OMNIBUSES AND LIGHT BUSES.
FOR THE EIGHT-MONTH PERIOD, THE DEPARTMENT HAS IN FACT MADE APPOINTMENTS FOR ALTOGETHER 138,500 DRIVING TESTS. ABOUT 30 PER CENT WERE NOT TAKEN UP AS SCHEDULED.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY: +WE WOULD IMAGINE THAT SOME CANDIDATES MIGHT HAVE CONSIDERED THEMSELVES - NOT HAVING ENOUGH DRIVING LESSONS BY THE TIME THEIR APPOINTMENT WAS DUE. THEREFORE THEY MIGHT HAVE DECIDED TO DEFER TAKING THEIR TEST BY GETTING ANOTHER APPOINTMENT.+
AT THE END OF LAST MONTH, ABOUT 100,000 CANDIDATES WERE ON THE WAITING LIST FOR A DRIVING TEST. THESE INCLUDED, IN THE CASE OF PRIVATE CARS, ABOUT 30,000 FOR WRITTEN TESTS AND 47,000 FOR COMBINED ROAD TESTS.
THE WAITING PERIOD FOR A DRIVING TEST VARIES WITH DIFFI RENT TYPES OF VEHICLE. AT THE END OF AUGUST, IT WAS ONE MONTH ON HONG KONG ISLAND AND FIVE MONTHS IN KOWLOON FOR / PRIVATE CAR WRITTEN TEST SIX MONTHS IN HONG KONG SIDE AND/BOUT NINE MONTHS IN KOWLOON FOR A PRIVATE CAR ROAD TEST= AND THREE AND A HALF MONTHS IN HONG KONG AND THREE MONTHS IN KOWLCON IN THE CASE OF MOTOR CYCLE.
AS FOR ALL GOODS VEHICLE, THE WAITING TIME WAS NINE MONTHS IN KOWLOON= FOR TAXI AND PUBLIC CAR, ONE AND A HALF MONTI S IN KOWLOON= FOR OMNIBUS, SEVEN AND A HALF MONTHS IN KOWLOON= AND FOR LIGHT BUS, NEARLY FIVE MONTHS IN HONG KONG AND 10 MONTHS IN KOWLOON.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID: +AT PRESENT, THE DRIVING TEST SECTION DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH EXAMINERS AND IS LOOKING FOR MORE. IT IS HOPED THAT WITH ADDITIONAL EXAMINERS AVAILABLE, THE WAITING TIME FOR DRIVING TESTS WOULD BE REDUCED.+
IN FACT, THE WAITING TIME FOR PRIVATE CAR WRITTEN TESTS IS ALREADY MUCH LESS. EIGHT MONTHS AGO, IT WAS NEARLY SEVEN MONTHS IN HONG KONG AND 11 MONTHS IN KOWLOON.
PASS RATES IN AUGUST WERE 94 PER CENT FOR PRIVATE CAR WRITTEN TESTS= 31 PER CENT FOR PRIVATE CAR LOAD TESTS= 44 PER CENT FOR MOTOR CYCLE 48 PER CENT FOR ALL GOODS VEHICLE= 60 PER CENT FOR TAXI AND PUBLIC CAR= 46 PER CENT FOR OMNIBUS➡ AND 39 PER CENT FOR LIGHT BUS.
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