TUESDAY, MAY 11, 1976
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DRIVER SHORTAGE NOT CAUSE OF IDLE PLB'S
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THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) DENIED RECENT CLAIMS BY CERTAIN MINI-BUS OPERATORS THAT VEHICLES WERE LYING
IDLE BECAUSE OF A LACK OF LICENSED DRIVERS.
MR. PETER MILLER, CHIEF TRANSPORT OFFICER, SAID THAT AT THE END OF MARCH 1976 THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 49.772 DRIVERS LICENSED TO DRIVE THE 4,308 PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES.
+ANY SUGGESTION THAT AS MANY AS A THOUSAND MINI-BUSES WERE LYING IDLE ON THE ROADS IS NOT BORNE OUT BY THE FACTS, HE SAID,
MR. MILLER, WHO RECENTLY MET PLB ORGANISATIONS, INDICATED THAT IT WAS CERTAINLY TRUE THAT BETWEEN 400 AND 500 MINI-BUSES WERE NOT IN USE ON ANY PARTICULAR DAY BUT THE MAIN REASON FOR THIS WAS THAT THE PLB'S WERE EITHER AWAITING MECHANICAL INSPECTION OR UNDERGOING ACCIDENT OR BREAK DOWN REPAIRS.
AS MANY AS 180 MINI-BUSES WHICH ARE PRESENTED FOR INSPECTION EACH MONTH PRIOR TO ANNUAL RELICENSING ARE FOUND TO HAVE SERIOUS MECHANICAL FAILURES AND THE DEPARTMENT HAS HAD TO FAIL AS MANY AS 46 PER CENT OF THE VEHICLES PRESENTED FOR INSPECTION AND SEND THEM AWAY TO HAVE THE DEFECTS RECTIFIED.
MR. MILLER CLAIMED THAT THE RECENT DECISION TO RE-OPEN NEW APPLICATIONS FOR PLB DRIVING TESTS HAD RESULTED IN NO LESS THAN 17,000 APPLICATIONS.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHETHER THESE WERE GENUINE APPLICATIONS FROM PEOPLE WHO WISHED TO BE ENGAGED FULL TIME IN DRIVING MINI-BUSES OR WHETHER THEY WERE MERELY FROM PEOPLE WHO WANTED JUST ANOTHER ENDORSEMENT ON THEIR ORDINARY LICENCE.
MR. MILLER STATED THAT UNDER THE PRESENT ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATIONS, IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE TO ALLOW DRIVERS OF PRIVATE CARS AND SMALL GOODS VEHICLES THE RIGHT TO AUTOMATICALLY DRIVE MINI-BUSES WITHOUT REQUIRING A SEPARATE TEST SINCE THE PLB'S IN OPERATION AT PRESENT CONSTITUTED THE HIGHEST RATIO OF VEHICLES INVOLVED IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS.
HE SAID: + IT WOULD BE A SERIOUS MATTER IF THE DEPARTMENT WERE TO FAIL IN ITS DUTY TO ENSURE THAT DRIVERS CARRYING LARGE NUMBERS OF PASSENGERS EVERY DAY WERE NOT SUBJECT TO A SPECIALIST DRIVING TEST.+
HE ADDED THAT WITHIN THE LIMITED RESOURCES OF THE DEPARTMENT IN REGARD TO BOTH PREMISES AND MANPOWER, IT WAS HOPED THAT IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO CALL UP ABOUT 400 APPLICANTS EACH MONTH FOR THE PLB DRIVING TEST AND ON THE BASIS OF PAST EXPERIENCE BETWEEN 35 TO 40 PER CENT OF THESE CANDIDATES WOULD PASS.
+THE HIGH FAILURE RATE IS AN INDICATION OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE DRIVING TESTS ARE ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE BETTER ROAD DISCIPLINE AND FEWER TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS,+ MR. MILLER WENT ON.
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