XN000022-1981-07-02 — Page 2

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1981

BUS SERVICES COMPARATIVELY GOOD'

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BUS SERVICES IN HONG KONG ARE GOOD, AS ANY COMPARISON WILL SHOW, ALTHOUGH BUS PASSENGERS AND BUS OPERATORS AND THE AUTHORITIES WOULD SAY THEY ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

THIS WAS SAID BY THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR DENIS BRAY AT THE OPENING OF A NEW MAINTENANCE AND RESEARCH CENTRE OF THE KOWLOON MOTOR BUS COMPANY AT KWAI CHUNG TODAY.

+PASSENGERS WOULD OBVIOUSLY LIKE BETTER SERVICES. THE OPERATORS WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE BETTER SERVICES - HENCE THIS MAINTENANCE CENTRE AND THE AUTHORITIES WOULD LIKE TO SEE BETTER SERVICES. WE CAN NEVER SAY SERVICES CANNOT BE IMPROVED UPON, MR BRAY SAID.

HE SAID BUS SERVICES PLAYED SUCH A VITAL PART IN THE DAILY LIVES OF PRACTICALLY EVERYBODY IN HONG KONG THAT IT WAS SMALL WONDER THERE WAS SO MUCH DEBATE OVER THE IR OPERATIONS AND THE IR COST.

+BUS FARES OVER THE YEARS HAVE RISEN AT MUCH THE SAME RATE AS THE PRICES OF OTHER DAILY NECESSITIES. EVEN SO EVERYBODY NATURALLY WANTS TO BE SURE HE IS GETTING THE BEST VALUE FOR MONEY WHEN THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING IS GOING UP. SO DOES THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS WHY THE AUTHOR ITIES CONCERNED ARE ENGAGED IN A MORE EXHAUSTIVE STUDY OF BUS OPERATIONS THAN HAS EVER TAKEN PLACE BEFORE, HE SAID.

HE SAID THIS WAS ALSO WHY KMB BUILT THE NEW WORKSHOPS WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS ONE OF THE LARGEST BUS MAINTENANCE AND RESEARCH CENTRES IN ASIA.

MR BRAY POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS NOT EASY TO NOTICE CHANGES IN STANDARDS OF SERVICES DAY BY DAY WHEN THEY WERE PROVIDED BY THOUSANDS OF BUSES CARRYING MILLIONS OF PASSENGERS. BUT WITH A LONGER TIME PERSPECTIVE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES COULD BE RECALLED.

+PERHAPS NOT MANY WILL REMEMBER THE FIRST POST-WAR KMB BUSES WHICH WERE CONVERTED LORRIES A GATE OPERATOR HAD TO BE HANDY NOT ONLY WITH HIS ARMS BUT ALSO HIS FEET TO BE ABLE TO PULL THE GATES SHUT THROUGH THRONGS OF STRUGGLING PASSENGERS.

+ IT WAS NOT LONG AGO THAT HONG KONG PASSENGER MOVEMENTS SEEMED TO BE VERY UNUSUAL. THERE WERE NO PEAK HOURS. TRAVEL STARTED AT ABOUT 7 AM AND LASTED TILL 10 PM AT ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL ALL DAY.

THERE WERE NEVER ANY EMPTY BUSES.

+TODAY THERE ARE MARKED PEAK HOURS WHEN QUEUES ARE LONG AND BUSES CROWDED BUT ALSO LONG PERIODS IN THE DAY WHEN PASSENGERS HAVE NO DIFFICULTY IN FINDING SEATS, MR BRAY SAID.

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