WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1986
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+TRAINING IN THE USE OF WRITTEN CHINESE, PUTONGHUA OR OTHER CHINESE DIALECTS IS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO NEED TO USE THEM. EXPATRIATE OFFICERS ARE GIVEN LESSONS IN CANTONESE AND SOMETIMES EVEN WRITTEN CHINESE TO ASSIST THEM IN THEIR WORK, SIR DAVID SAID.
+THE LANGUAGE TRAINING COURSES CURRENTLY PROVIDED FOR CIVIL SERVANTS GENERALLY ACHIEVE THEIR OBJECTIVES. THE NUMBER AND CONTENT OF THESE COURSES WILL BE KEPT UNDER REGULAR REVIEW TO KEEP PACE WITH THE CHANGING NEEDS.+
BUS ROUTES UNDER REGULAR REVIEW
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THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT CONSTANTLY REVIEWS THE CLASSIFICATION OF BUS ROUTES, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ANY NEW DEVELOPMENT AND POPULATION CHANGES IN DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON IAN MACPHERSON, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
REPLYING TO QUESTIONS BY THE HON LIU LIT-FOR, MR MACPHERSON SAID BUS ROUTES WERE GROUPED INTO A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES INCLUDING URBAN AND RURAL, AND A NUMBER OF FACTORS WERE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN GROUPING THEM.
THE MAIN CONSIDERATIONS WERE POPULATION DENSITIES AND DEMAND IN THE AREAS THROUGH WHICH THE BUS ROUTE OPERATED, HE SAID.
+FOR EXAMPLE THE URBAN ROUTES OF THE KOWLOON MOTOR BUS COMPANY COVER SERVICES OPERATING ENTIRELY WITHIN KOWLOON, SHA TIN AND TSUEN WAN THE REMAINDER BEING CLASSIFIED AS RURAL.
SERVICES
+FOR THE CHINA MOTOR BUS COMPANY, BUS SERVICES OPERATING ALONG THE DENSELY POPULATED CORRIDOR BETWEEN CHAI WAN AND KENNEDY TOWN ARE CURRENTLY GROUPED UNDER THE URBAN CATEGORY WHILE THOSE SERVING THE MID-LEVELS AND SOUTH ISLAND ARE CLASSIFIED AS SUBURBAN, + HE SAID.
MR MACPHERSON SAID IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MAKE A FULL COMPARISON BETWEEN THE URBAN AND RURAL BUS FARES DUE TO THE MANY AND VARIED FARE BANDS INCLUDED IN THE ROUTE GROUPS.
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+HOWEVER,+ HE SAID +FARES ARE GENERALLY HIGHER FOR THE RURAL AND SUBURBAN SERVICES TO REFLECT THE LOWER PASSENGER TURNOVER EN-ROUTE, THE IRREGULAR SPREAD OF PASSENGER DEMAND THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AND THE RELATIVELY HIGHER OPERATING COSTS OF THESE SERVICES.+
/FREQUENCIES WERE