MONDAY, MARCH 7, 1983
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LESS TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
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SCHOOL HOLIDAYS ARE APPARENTLY WELCOMED NOT JUST BY STUDENTS BUT ALSO BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO GO TO WORK, ACCORDING TO THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT'S LATEST QUARTERLY REPORT.
THE REPORT, COVERING THE PERIOD FROM OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31 LAST YEAR, REVEALS THAT WHILE THE NUMBER OF DIRECT COMPLAINTS TO THE TCU GREW STEADILY IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, MONTHLY STATISTICS INDICATE THAT IT FELL INTO A PATTERN.
THE TCU TENDS TO GET FAR FEWER COMPLAINTS DURING THE MAJOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. TYPES OF COMPLAINTS SENSITIVE TO THIS SEASONAL FACTOR ARE ABOUT INADEQUATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES, THE STANDARD OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES AND ROAD CONGESTION.
THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE UNIT, MR JAMES KWAN, SAID TODAY THAT HE HAD DISTRIBUTED COPIES OF THE REPORT FOR THE INFORMATION OF TRANSPORT PLANNERS AND THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION.
THE REPORT ALSO DISCLOSES THAT COMPLAINTS INVOLVING THE TWO MAJOR BUS COMPANIES DURING THE PERIOD DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS QUARTER: CHINA MOTOR BUS FROM 219 TO 171 AND KOWLOON MOTOR BUS FROM 232 TO 187.
A BETTER RECORD OF ADHERENCE TO SCHEDULED FREQUENCIES IN KOWLOON, AND THUS FEWER COMPLAINTS AGAINST KMB, WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEMES INTRODUCED IN MA TAU WEI ROAD/ WUHU STREET, UN CHAU STREET/CASTLE PEAK ROAD AND CHOI HUNG ROAD.
THIS IS NOT APPARENT, HOWEVER, ON HONG KONG ISLAND AS THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT CMB'S NON-ADHERENCE TO FREQUENCIES REMAINED MORE OR LESS THE SAME, DESPITE THE SIGNIFICANT DROP IN THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT CONGESTION ON KING'S ROAD SINCE MID-NOVEMBER LAST YEAR.
THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AGAINST BUS DRIVERS REMAINED RELATIVELY HIGH DURING THE QUARTER: 78 OUT OF A TOTAL OF 171 COMPLAINTS AGAINST CMB AND 39 CASES OUT OF 187 COMPLAINTS AGAINST KMB.
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