XN000022-1983-08-09 — Page 3

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1983

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SIR JOHN NOTED THAT ONCE AGAIN, HONG KONG'S HIGHLY FLEXIBLE AND WELL-MOTIVATED INDUSTRIALISTS TOGETHER WITH THE EXCELLENT LABOUR FORCE HAD DEMONSTRATED THEIR ABILITY TO RESPOND QUICKLY TO A REVIVAL IN EXTERNAL MARKET DEMAND.

+AND, DARE I SAY, GOVERNMENT POLICIES HAVE BEEN VINDICATED. THEY HAVE OF COURSE REMAINED STEADY, CONSISTENT AND PREDICTABLE,+ HE SAID.

TAC GROUPS REPORT ON CMB PERFORMANCE

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THE WORKING GROUPS WHICH WERE RECONVENED EARLIER THIS YEAR TO TAKE A FURTHER LOOK AT THE PERFORMANCE OF CHINA MOTOR BUS COMPANY HAVE REPORTED CONSIDERABLE IMPROVEMENTS IN SOME AREAS SINCE THE REVIEW IN 1982 BUT THAT SHORTCOMINGS REMAIN IN OTHER AREAS.

THE FOUR BUS OPERATION REVIEW SUB-GROUPS - ON THE ROUTE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (RDP), MAINTENANCE, DEPOT REQUIREMENTS, AND SPARE PARTS WERE RECONVENED IN MARCH THIS YEAR ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE PROGRESS MADE BY CMB IN MEETING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 1982 REVIEW.

IN A REPORT TO THE TAC TODAY. THE RDP SUB-GROUP FOUND THAT THE COMPANY WAS NOW ABLE TO MOBILISE SUFFICIENT BUSES TO MEET THE SCHEDULES OF SERVICE. BY THE END OF JUNE THIS YEAR, THE COMPANY WAS ABLE TO ALLOCATE A SCHEDULED NUMBER OF 759 BUSES EACH DAY, WHICH WAS ONLY NINE SHORT OF THE RDP REQUIREMENT, DUE LARGELY TO DEFERRED INTRODUCTION OF SERVICE IN AREAS WHERE POPULATION BUILD-UP HAD BEEN SLOWER THAN EXPECTED.

THE SUB-GROUP ALSO NOTED THAT THE COMPANY HAD TAKEN UP THE SUGGESTION THAT IT SHOULD ECONOMISE BY EMPLOYING MORE HIGH CAPACITY BUSES. AT THE END OF MAY THIS YEAR, 22 THREE-AXLE BUSES WERE IN SERVICE, EACH CAPABLE OF ACCOMMODATING 170 PASSENGERS. ELEVEN MORE OF THESE WERE BEING CONSTRUCTED AND 15 MORE WOULD BE ORDERED.

THE SUB-GROUP FURTHER REPORTED THAT A START HAD BEEN MADE BY THE COMPANY IN DEVELOPING A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, IN PARTICULAR A SYSTEM OF ROUTE COSTING FOR MONITORING AND PLANNING PURPOSES.

IT RECOMMENDED THAT THE COMPANY SHOULD CONTINUE THESE EFFORTS AND THAT IT SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO CONSIDER INSTALLING A COMPUTER SYSTEM TO HELP COMPILE AND OBTAIN MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL DATA.

THE MAINTENANCE