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The Working Group concludes that Red Minibuses (RMBs) should continue to provide a supplementary public transport service and the value of RMB operation lies in their flexibility. Green Minibuses (GMBs), on the other hand, should remain as a supplement to the mass carriers, serving areas where patronage does not justify the provision of high capacity modes, or where bus services are not economical or constrained by road terrain.
The Working Group also reaffirms the Government's policy of containing the number of PLBs to the current limit of 4,350. It considers that there is no policy justification for further increasing the seating capacity of PLBs beyond the existing 16 seats, as buses should continue to be given priority over other vehicles in the use of road space.
The Working Group also notes that adequate capacity is already provided by the mass carriers. Any further increase in demand can be met by franchised buses which are more economic road users. Moreover, improvements in GMB services can be introduced without an increase in the seating capacity.
The Working Group recommends that stopping restrictions should continue to be imposed on RMBS in some urban areas, and such restrictions should be reviewed from time to time. However, it recommends that the policy of prohibiting them from using new expressways and trunk roads should be applied with greater flexibility.
The Working Group also reaffirms that it is desirable to convert more KMBs to GMBs, and recommends that some of the assessment criteria adopted by the GMB operators selection process should be modified to promote the selection of operators who would provide satisfactory performance. More emphasis should be given to management capability, ability to produce and implement service improvement plans, and newer vehicle fleet.
The Working Group recommends that the GMB maximum fare scale should be adjusted annually taking account of inflation, and that periodic reviews should be conducted to ensure that it is realistic and provides operators with an incentive to improve services. An operator may be allowed to charge a fare up to 50% above the maximum fare if he introduces service improvements which necessitate charging a higher fare. The Working Group also suggests that the procedures for processing fare increase applications should be streamlined.
On the other hand, the existing policy for RMB fares need not be changed as it enables RMBS to operate flexibly to meet changes in market demand.