XN000022-1975-07-06 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, JULY 6, 1975

MORE +MAXI-CAB+ SERVICES PLANNED

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TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT IS DRAWING UP COMPREHENSIVE PLANS FOR MORE +MAXI-CAB+ SERVICES TO OPERATE ON NARROWER ROADS IN BOTH URBAN AND RURAL AREAS WHERE THE PROVISION OF LARGE BUSES IS NOT JUSTIFIED.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLANNERS OF THE DEPARTMENT HAVE STARTED THE FIRST OF ANOTHER SERIES OF FORMAL DISCUSSIONS WITH PUBLIC LIGHT BUS OPERATORS ON NEW POSSIBLE MAXI-CAB ROUTES.

TALKS IN THE PAST HAVE RESULTED IN THE INTRODUCTION OF THREE POPULAR MAXI-CAB SERVICES BETWEEN CENTRAL AND THE PEAK, OLD PEAK ROAD AND PO SHAN ROAD.

THE LATEST ADDITION IS THE TWO SERVICES BETWEEN ABERDEEN AND CENTRAL AND ABERDEEN AND CAUSEWAY BAY VIA SHOUSON HILL, WONG NEI CHUNG GAP ROAD AND STUBBS ROAD. INITIAL RESPONSE HAS BEEN MOST ENCOURAGING SINCE THEY STARTED LATE LAST MONTH.

AT A RECENT MEETING WITH HONG KONG ISLAND PLB REPRESENTATIVES TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS PUT FORWARD A LIST OF PROPOSED ROUTES FOR THE ISLAND. COPIES OF THE PROPOSALS WERE LATER SENT TO THE OPERATORS FOR CLOSER STUDY.

THE PROPOSED ROUTES INCLUDE STANLEY VILLAGE-STANLEY FORT- CHUNG HOM KOK/HEADLAND ROAD-STANLEY VILLAGE- RED HILL-TAI TAM ROAD- STANLEY VILLAGE PERKINS ROAD/MT. BUTLER/BROADWOOD ROAD-WANCHAI FERRY PIER- BRAEMAR HILL-NORTH POINT-A KUNG NGAM VIA FORTRESS HILL ROAD CHAI WAN-CAPE COLLINSON- MT. CAMERON-MAGAZINE GAP ROAD- CENTRAL AND MT, MICHOLSON-WAN CHAI-CENTRAL.

FURTHER SESSIONS OF THE FRESH SERIES WILL BE HELD WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF PLB OPERATORS IN KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES. AMONG THE MAXI-CAB ROUTES PROPOSED WOULD BE YAU YAT TSUEN-HUNG HOM FERRY PIER- CALDECOTT ROAD-TA! KOK TSUI FERRY PIER, AND CHUK YUEN ESTATE-CHOI HUNG.

A TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY THE CONTINUED EFFORTS TO PERSUADE PLB OPERATORS TO RUN MORE MAXI-CAB SERVICES WERE IN LINE WITH PROPOSALS SET OUT IN THE GREEN PAPER +TRANSPORT

IN HONG KONG+ PUBLISHED LAST YEAR.

+PLBS ARE MUCH MORE SUITABLE THAN LARGE BUSES FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES ON NARROWER ROADS OF THE URBAN AND RURAL AREAS, OR ON THOSE WITH INSUFFICIENT PASSENGERS TO JUSTIFY THE PROVISION OF LARGE BUSES.

+FOR EXAMPLE, THEY COULD OPERATE ALONG THE MANY ROUTES WHICH ARE UNSUITABLE FOR FRANCHISED BUSES, OR ON THOSE ROUTES WHERE THE DEMAND IS TOO SMALL TO WARRANT LARGE BUSES BUT WHERE THERE IS STILL A NEED TO PROVIDE PUBLIC TRANSPORT, AND GENERALLY WHEREVER ALTERNATIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT REMAINS INADEQUATE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

/+MAXI-CAB+