XN000022-1984-08-04 — Page 5

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 1934

TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS RISE ****

THERE WERE MORE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF THIS YEAR THAN IN THE FIRST QUARTER, IT WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY.

DURING THE PERIOD, 1 384 COMPLAINTS WERE MADE TO THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE'S TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT AN INCREASE OF 300 CASES OVER THE 1 084 COMPLAINTS RECEIVED IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER.

THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT, MR STEPHEN PANG, SAID IN THE LATEST QUARTERLY REPORT RELEASED TODAY, THAT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES WERE STILL THE MAIN SUBJECT OF COMPLAINTS.

ABOUT TWO-THIRDS A TOTAL OF 618 COMPLAINTS WERE OF THIS NATURE. OF THESE CASES WERE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE SERVICES OF THE TWO MAJOR FRANCHISED BUS COMPANIES, HE SAID.

MR PANG SAID COMPLAINTS CONCERNING CMB HAD MARGINALLY DECREASED FROM PREVIOUS QUARTER'S 116 TO 111. CASES AGAINST ITS STAFF STILL MADE UP THE LARGEST PROPORTION OF THE COMPLAINTS. THERE WERE 32 SUCH CASES, REPRESENTING 29 PER CENT OF THE COMPLAINTS LEVELLED AGAINST CMB.

+COMPLAINTS CONCERNING KMB SHOWED A NEARLY 60 PER CENT INCREASE FROM 191 IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER TO 305, + MR PANG SAID.

+THE UPWARD TREND WAS MAINLY DUE TO MORE COMPLAINTS ABOUT INADEQUATE KMB SERVICES IN THE NEW TOWNS. BUT IMPROVEMENTS ARE EXPECTED AS THE 1984-86 ROUTE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR KMB ARE NOW BEING FINALISED.+

+COMPLAINTS ABOUT KMB STAFF, HOWEVER, REMAINED LOW

(25 CASES) AS IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTERS (23 CASES),+ HE SAID.

THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON TRAFFIC ENGINEERING MATTERS WAS ALSO ON THE INCREASE. OF THE 360 COMPLAINTS RECEIVED IN THE QUARTER, 54 PER CENT WERE ABOUT ROAD CONGESTION, 24 PER CENT ABOUT PARKING FACILITIES AND 20 PER CENT ABOUT TRAFFIC AIDS OR PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES.

MR PANG SAID COMPLAINTS ABOUT ENFORCEMENT PROBLEMS ROSE FROM 157 IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER TO 205. MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS WERE ABOUT ILLEGAL PARK ING AND OBSTRUCTION CAUSED BY PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES OR TAXIS.

+A NOTABLE CHANGE IS THAT THERE WERE FEW COMPLAINTS ABOUT ABANDONED VEHICLES. ONLY THREE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED, + HE SAID.

*THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT TAXI DRIVERS' MALPRACTICES DROPPED FROM 30 IN THE LAST QUARTER TO 25. NO COMPLAINT ABOUT

SINCE APRIL 1982, INADEQUATE TAXI SERVICE HAD BEEN RECORDED. TCU HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY COMPLAINTS IN THIS CATEGORY.

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