SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1976
MOST CMB FARES TO GO UP IN MARCH
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BUS PASSENGERS ON HONG KONG ISLAND WILL HAVE TO PAY MORE ON MOST ROUTES FROM NEXT MONTH,
ANNOUNCING THIS TODAY A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL HAS APPROVED AN APPLICATION FROM CHINA MOTOR BUS COMPANY, FIRST SUBMITTED IN SEPTEMBER 1974, TO REVISE ITS SCALE OF FARES AS FROM MARCH 1, 1976.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE CONSIDERED THE APPLICATION IN DETAIL AT ITS MEETING LAST DECEMBER AND ADVISED IN FAVOUR OF THE REVISION BECAUSE OF THE STEEP RISE IN CAPITAL AND OPERATING EXPENSES SINCE 1972.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT WHILE INCREASES ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT WELCOME THEY COULD NOT BE AVOIDED WHEN THE COST OF SPARE PARTS AND MACHINERY HAD RISEN 207 PER CENT, FUEL 125 PER CENT, TYRES 81 PER CENT, STAFF WAGES 79 PER CENT AND THE COST OF NEW VEHICLES 75 PER CENT IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
+ IF THE COMPANY IS TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND ITS SERVICES AND REPLACE THE OLDER VEHICLES WHILE MAINTAINING REASONABLE WAGE LEVELS, THIS FARES REVISION IS INEVITABLE, HE SAID,
CMB FARES WERE LAST REVISED IN JULY 1972 WHEN 132 FARES WERE INCREASED, 42 REMAINED UNCHANGED AND SIX WERE REDUCED. ON THAT OCCASION, THE 20 CENT FULL DISTANCE FARES ON URBAN ROUTES (NOS 2, 5, 5A, 5B, 5C AND 10) ALONG THE NORTH SHORE ROUTES BETWEEN SHAU KEI WAN AND KENNEDY TOWN WERE KEPT AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THEY WERE JUST AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
FROM MARCH, THE FARES ON THESE ROUTES WILL RISE TO 30 CENTS - THE SAME AS FOR TRAMS OVER SIMILAR ROUTES.
OVERALL, THE IMPACT OF THE FARES REVISION WILL BE GREATER ON THOSE ROUTES WHERE FARES WERE UNCHANGED OR REDUCED IN 1972. ON THIS OCCASION, 72 FARES WILL BE INCREASED, 25 WILL REMA IN UNCHANGED AND TWO WILL BE REDUCED. MOST SUBURBAN ROUTES WHERE FARES ARE NOW 30 CENTS WILL INCREASE TO 50 CENTS, THE FARES ON CROSS HARBOUR ROUTES WILL NOT BE AFFECTED.
THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT SINCE MID-1973, WHEN THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD NOT RENEW THE CHINA MOTOR BUS COMPANY'S FRANCHISE ON THE OLD TERMS, THE COMPANY HAS UNDERTAKEN A SUBSTANTIAL EXPANSION PROGRAMME TO CATER FOR EXISTING AND ANTICIPATED TRAFFIC DEMANDS.
+ IN CONSULTATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT, THE COMPANY HAD DRAWN UP A PLAN OF VEHICLE ACQUISITION BOTH TO REPLACE EXISTING BUSES AND ADD MORE TO THE FLEET TO REACH A TOTAL OF 800 HIGH-CAPACITY VEHICLES BY 1981, + HE SAID.
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/AT PRESENT