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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1981
STUDY ON BUS DRIVER FATIGUE
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A PRELIMINARY STUDY IS TO BE CARRIED OUT SHORTLY BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG ON THE OVERALL WORKING CONDITIONS OF BUS DRIVERS.
A CONTRACT COMMISSIONING THE STUDY WAS SIGNED TODAY AT THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT BETWEEN THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR PETER LEEDS AND PROFESSOR W.A. REYNOLDS OF THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY.
THE STUDY, WHICH WILL BE SPREAD OVER A PERIOD OF EIGHT MONTHS TO COVER BOTH THE COLD AND HOT SEASONS, WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A MORE COMPREHENSIVE ONE AT A LATER DATE.
THIS FURTHER STUDY WILL CONCENTRATE ON FINDING SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS WHICH ARE PARTICULARLY ACUTE.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE OVERALL WORKING CONDITIONS OF BUS DRIVERS TO DETERMINE THE FACTORS WHICH MAY CONTRIBUTE TO DRIVER FATIGUE. SUCH FATIGUE MAY BE A CONTRIBUTOR Y CAUSE OF SOME BUS ACCIDENTS.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE MANY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE QUALITY OF A BUS DRIVER'S PERFORMANCE, INCLUDING HEAT AND HUMIDITY, POLLUTION AND NOISE, ATTITUDES OF PASSENGERS, TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, DESIGN FEATURES OF BUSES, LENGTH OF HOURS WORKED, AND TIMINGS OF MEAL BREAKS.
+THE STUDY WILL DISCOVER JUST HOW SIGNIFICANT EACH OF THESE FACTORS IS AND MAYBE IT WILL ALSO IDENTIFY OTHER INFLUENCES,+ HE SAID.
+NOT UNTIL THIS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE CAN ANY SYSTEMATIC AND CO-ORDINATED POLICY BE ADOPTED TO IMPROVE THE WORKING CONDITIONS OF BUS DRIVERS.
+ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR WORKING ENVIRONMENT WILL PROBABLY CONTRIBUTE TO A REDUCED ACCIDENT RATE, BUT IN ADDITION IT WILL LIKELY INCREASE THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE JOB. THIS SHOULD THEN HELP TO EASE THE PERIODIC BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE WHICH HONG KONG SUFFERS.
+THE BURDEN OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF BUS DRIVERS' JOBS CANNOT BE SOLELY PLACED ON THE BUS COMPANIES- IT REQUIRES JOINT EFFORT BY THE COMPANIES, GOVERNMENT AND RESEARCHERS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
+THE STUDY WILL CALL FOR THE CO-OPERATION OF ALL THESE PARTIES, OF THE DRIVERS THEMSELVES, AND THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC,+ HE ADDED.
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