SATURDAY, ROJUST 16, 1986
COMPL INTS ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES CONSTITUTED THE LARGEST SINGLE GROUP OF COMPLAINTS HANDLED BY UNIT.
THEY ACCOUNTED
FOR 688 CASES OR ABOUT TWO-FIFTHS OF ALL THE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED. BUS SERVICIS AND GREEN MINIBUS SERVICES WERE THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECTS OF COMPLAINTS, HE SAID.
THERE WERE 474 COMPLAINT CASES CONCERNING BUS SERVICES, COMPARED WITH 390 CASES IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT ADEQUACY OF BUS SERVICES FOR HONG KONG ISLAND WENT UP FROM 47 CASES IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER TO 58 THIS QUARTER, WHILST THOSE CONCERNING KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES ALSO INCREASED FROM 98 CASES IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER TO 140 THIS QUARTER.
+COMPLAINTS OF THIS NATURE WERE REFERRED TO THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT FOR CONSIDERATION AS THE SUBJECTS OF COMPLAINT INCLUDE FREQUENCY-CARRYING CAPACITY, ROUTE ING, HOURS OF OPERATION AND PROVISION OF STOPS,+ MR RUMJAHN SAID.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE STANDARD OF SERVICE OF THE TWO BUS
COMPANIES COMPRISED 101 CASES DIRECTED AT CHINA MOTOR BUS COMPANY AND 110 CASES DIRECTED AT KOWLOON MOTOR BUS COMPANY. THE MAJOR CAUSES OF COMPLAINT WERE NON-ADHERENCE TO SCHEDULED FREQUENCY AND CONDUCT OF STAFF.
SUCH COMPLAINTS WERE REFERRED TO THE BUS COMPANIES CONCERNED FOR INVESTIGATION, AND WHERE CASES WERE FOUND TO BE SUBSTANTIATED, APPROPRIATE RECTIFICATION HAD BEEN MADE, HE SAID.
COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, COMPLAINTS ABOUT GREEN MINIBUS SERVICES SLIGHTLY INCREASED BY NINE CASES TO 108 CASES. THE MAJOR AREAS OF COMPLAINT, NEARLY HALF OF WHICH WERE CONCERNED WITH ROUTES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, COVERED NON-ADHERENCE TO SCHEDULED FREQUENCY-ROUTE ING, CONDUCT AND PERFORMANCE OF DRIVERS AND INADEQUATE FREQUENCY-CARRYING CAPACITY.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT TAXI SERVICE ROSE FROM 37 CASES IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER TO 42 THIS QUARTER. MOST OF THESE COMPLAINTS WERE CONCERNED WITH MALPRACTICES OF TAXI DRIVERS - REFUSING HIRE, MISCONDUCT OF DRIVERS, OVERCHARGING AND NOT TAKING THE MOST DIRECT ROUTE ING.
MR RUMJAHN ADVISED THESE COMPLAINANTS TO REPORT DIRECT TO THE POLICE AS THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE WAS THE STATUTORY AUTHORITY FOR TAKING ENFORCEMENT ACTION.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT ROAD CONGESTION CONTINUED TO INCREASE TO 363 CASES, COMPARED WITH 267 CASES IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER AND 243 IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR. THEY ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT ONE-FIFTH OF ALL THE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED IN THE QUARTER, MOST OF THE CASES OCCURRED IN THE URBAN AREAS, INCLUDING KWUN TONG, CENTRAL AND WESTERN, WAN CHAI, KOWLOON CITY AND SHAM SHUI PO.
TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS AND VEHICLE OBSTRUCTION WERE CLAIMED TO BE THE MAJOR CAUSES OF ROAD CONGESTION. AS IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, ABOUT HALF OF THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT VEHICLE OBSTRUCTION WERE DIRECTED AGAINST PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES.
'ER RUMJAHN