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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1985
THE TCU ANNUAL REPORT NOTED THAT COMPLAINTS ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES WERE STILL PREDOMINANT, ACCOUNTING FOR 2 476 CASES OR 46 PER CENT OF ALL COMPLAINTS RECORDED IN THE YEAR. ANOTHER 990 CASES OR NEARLY ONE-FIFTH OF ALL THE COMPLAINTS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH ROAD CONGESTION. OTHER PROMINENT COMPLAINT AREAS WERE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ROAD CONDITIONS.
+ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES, THE MAIN AREAS OF CONCERN AS REFLECTED IN THE COMPLAINTS WERE THAT SERVICES SHOULD BE PROVIDED ON THE RIGHT ROUTES, AT ACCEPTABLE FREQUENCIES AND WITH REASONABLE FARES, FRANCHISED BUSES, BEING THE LARGEST SINGLE CARRIER IN HONG KONG, ATTRACTED A HIGHER NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS,+ EXPLAINED MR STEPHEN PANG, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE TCU.
AS IN THE YEAR BEFORE. NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF ALL THE COMPLAINTS WERE ABOUT BUS SERVICES. ALTOGETHER THERE WERE 1 734 CASES, AND INADEQUATE SERVICE AND STANDARD OF SERVICE WERE THE MAIN SUBJECTS.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT INADEQUATE BUS SERVICES ROSE BY 39 PER
CENT, FROM 566 IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR TO 787.
+THE UPWARD TREND WAS MAINLY DUE TO INCREASED DEMAND FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT FOR SHA TIN AND TUEN MUN. ALSO COMPLAINTS CONCERNING INADEQUATE CROSS HARBOUR BUS SERVICES HAD INCREASED, + MR PANG ADDED.
DURING THE YEAR, HE EXPLAINED, BUS SERVICES FOR THE TWO NEW TOWNS HAD BEEN STRENGTHENED. FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS WERE EXPECTED AS PART OF THE 1984-86 BUS ROUTE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME.
+FOR CROSS HARBOUR BUS SERVICES, THE UNIT HAS BEEN ADVISED BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT AND THE TRANSPORT BRANCH THAT ALTHOUGH IN THE PEAK HOURS THERE IS A SHORTFALL IN THE CAPACITY OF THESE SERVICES, THE SHORTFALL OCCURS ONLY FOR SHORT PERIODS. THE TOTAL CAPACITY OF CROSS HARBOUR PASSENGER SERVICES AS PROVIDED BY BUSES, FERRIES AND MTR IS CONSIDERED TO BE ADEQUATE, HE SAID.
THE UNIT HAS ALSO BEEN ADVISED THAT THERE ARE OTHER AREAS SUCH AS NEW TOWNS AND INDUSTRIAL ESTATES WHICH ARE NOT SO WELL SERVED BY BUSES AND FOR THE TIME BEING IT IS IN THESE AREAS THAT IMPROVEMENTS HAVE A HIGHER PRIORITY. THE UNIT FURTHER NOTED THAT THERE HAS BEEN DEMAND, AS REFLECTED BY COMPLAINTS, FOR ADDITIONAL CROSS HARBOUR BUS SERVICES.
+THIS DEMAND HAS TO BE EXAMINED AGAINST THE NEEDS OF OTHER AREAS AS WELL AS THE INCREASED CAPACITY OF THE MTR IN MID-1985 WITH THE ADDITION OF THE ISLAND LINE.
+ IN THE MEANTIME, MR PANG SAID, THE UNIT WILL CONTINUE TO FORWARD COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS ON CROSS HARBOUR SERVICES TO THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT FOR CONSIDERATION.+
MR PANG POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE FEWER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE STANDARD OF SERVICE OF THE FRANCHISED BUS COMPANIES.
THERE WERE