XN000022-1987-03-07 — Page 2

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1987

TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS SHOW GENERAL DECREASE

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THERE WAS A GENERAL DECREASE IN ALL MAJOR CATEGORIES OF TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS IN THE PERIOD OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 1986 AS COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, ACCORDING TO THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT (TCU) QUARTERLY REPORT RELEASED TODAY (SATURDAY).

A TOTAL OF 1 780 COMPLAINTS WERE LODGED WITH THE UNIT DURING THE PERIOD UNDER REVIEW COMPARED WITH 1 959 IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, WHILE 1 482 WERE RECORDED IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1985.

THE DOWNWARD TREND WAS DUE TO LESS COMPLAINTS ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES, TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, ROAD MAINTENANCE AND TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE TCU, MR MOHAMMED RUMJAHN, SAID.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES REMAINED THE LARGEST SINGLE GROUP OF COMPLAINTS HANDLED BY THE TCU, ACCOUNTING FOR ABOUT 42 PER CENT OF ALL THE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED.

A TOTAL OF 171 COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED REGARDING THE LEVEL OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICE. THEY INVOLVED PROPOSALS TO INCREASE THE EXISTING FREQUENCY OF SERVICE OR TO INTRODUCE NEW ROUTES AND EXTEND EXISTING ROUTES.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE INADEQUACY OF BUS SERVICE ON HONG KONG ISLAND WERE MOSTLY MADE BY COMMUTERS IN AP LEI CHAU AND TIN HAU TEMPLE ROAD AREA.

IN KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE INADEQUACY OF BUS SERVICE WERE MAINLY RELATED TO MTR OR KCR FEEDER BUS ROUTES AND EXPRESS BUS ROUTES, MANY OF WHICH SERVE THE NEW TOWNS OF SHA TIN, TUEN MUN, TAI PO, TSUEN WAN AND TSING YI.

COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE STANDARD OF SERVICE OF THE VARIOUS MODES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT MADE UP 437 CASES OR 67 PER CENT OF THE CASES INVOLVING PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES.

+THESE COMPLAINTS WERE TAKEN UP INDIVIDUALLY WITH THE TRANSPORT OPERATORS CONCERNED OR WITH THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES (NAMELY TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT CONCERNING IRREGULARITIES IN GREEN MINIBUS SERVICES AND THE POLICE IN RESPECT OF TAXI MALPRACTICES), + MR RUMJAHN SAID.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT ERRATIC BUS SERVICE ON HONG KONG ISLAND WERE MAINLY DIRECTED AT BUS ROUTES SERVING THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT. IN KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, COMPLAINTS ABOUT BUSES NOT KEEPING TO SCHEDULED FREQUENCY WERE MAINLY LEVELLED AT EXTERNAL BUS ROUTES IN SHA TIN AND TAI PO AND BUS ROUTES SERVING TSUEN WAN, TSING YI AND LAI CHI KOK AREA.

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