XN000022-1983-11-26 — Page 2

NOTE TO EDITORS:

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SATURDAY, NUVEMBER 20, 1983

AMBASSADOR LEAVING TOMORROW *****

THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO PEKING, SIR PERCY CRADOCK, WILL LEAVE HONG KONG FOR PEKING TOMORROW (SUNDAY) ON FLIGHT CÁ 102, ETD. 12.45 PM.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC FACILITY HAS BEEN ARRANGED TO COVER SIR PERCY'S DEPARTURE. PHOTOGRAPHERS AND CAMERAMEN WISHING TO MAKE USE OF THE FACILITY SHOULD ASSEMBLE AT THE AIRPORT PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM NOT LATER THAN 11.30 AM. GIS OFFICERS WILL BE ON HAND TO ASSIST.

FEWER COMPLAINTS AGAINST PUBLIC TRANSPORT *****

THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE'S TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT HAS BEEN RECEIVING FEWER COMPLAINTS AGAINST PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES.

IN THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, THE TCU RECORDED A TOTAL OF 5 031 DIRECT COMPLAINTS. PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES ACCOUNTED FOR 2 351 COMPLAINTS (47 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL). ALTHOUGH CASES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES CONTINUED TO BE PREDOMINANT, THE YEAR REGISTERED A DROP OF 21 PER CENT (628 COMPLAINTS) COMPARED WITH 2 979 COMPLAINTS IN 1981/82.

THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE UNIT, MR STEPHEN PANG, NOTED THAT FEWER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE MAJOR FRANCHISED BUS SERVICES WERE THE MAJOR REASON FOR THE DOWNWARD TREND. THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT CMB AND KMB DROPPED BY 27 PER CENT, FROM 2 019 IN 1981/82 TO 1 467 IN 1982/83.

+THE DECREASE IN THESE COMPLAINTS CAN PROBABLY BE ATTRIBUTED TO A GENERAL IMPROVEMENT IN BUS AVAILABILITY AND THE CONTINUING IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY MEASURES WHICH HAVE HELPED TO IMPROVE BUS OPERATIONS, SAID MR PANG.

ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT FEATURE IS THAT MORE PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT OTHER TRANSPORT MATTERS, NOTABLY TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND ROAD CONDITIONS.

IN JUNE LAST YEAR, THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE SET UP A SUB-COMMITTEE TO OVERSEE THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT, THE TCU SUB-COMMITTEE COMPRISES THREE UNOFFICIAL TAC MEMBERS1 MR STEPHEN CHEONG KAM-CHUEN (CHAIRMAN), MR STEPHEN W.Y. CHENG AND MISS ANNA WU.

/+THE EFFECTIVENESS