XN000022-1990-08-06 — Page 7

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 1990

TD HAS NO OBJECTION TO AIR-CONDITIONED BUS SERVICES

* * * *

TO

BUS

THAT

THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT HAS NO OBJECTION IN PRINCIPLE CHINA MOTOR BUS COMPANY'S INTENTION OF INCREASING AIR-CONDITIONED SERVICES TO THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT BUT IT IS A MATTER OF PRIORITY THE DEPARTMENT IS TRYING TO RESOLVE, AN ACTING ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR ALAN LUI, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

AT A SPECIAL MEETING BETWEEN SOUTHERN DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT AND THE CMB ΤΟ DISCUSS THE DEPLOYMENT OF AIR-CONDITIONED BUSES IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT, MR LUI SAID THE DEPARTMENT HAD ADVISED THE BUS COMPANY ΤΟ DEPLOY THEIR AIR-CONDITIONED BUSES TO PLACES WHERE THERE WERE NO HIGHER QUALITY BUS SERVICES AND WHERE DEMANDS FOR THEM EXIST.

"THESE POSSIBLE ROUTES INCLUDE THOSE FROM STANLEY, WONG CHUK HANG AND CHUNG HOM KOK IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT THERE ARE OTHER POSSIBLE ROUTES TO WESTERN, THE MID-LEVELS, DISTRICT, AND THE CROSS HARBOUR SERVICES.

RESIDENTS

WAH FU, ALTHOUGH EASTERN

"THESE SUGGESTIONS HAVE COME FROM

OF THE SOUTHERN AND OTHER DISTRICTS AND THEY INDICATED A NEED TO EXAMINE MORE CAREFULLY HOW CMB'S EXISTING LIMITED RESOURCES SHOULD BE ALLOCATED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE BEST INTEREST OF THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC ON HONO KONG ISLAND," HE ADDED.

REFERRING TO A PROPOSED ROUTE BY CMB SERVING BETWEEN AP LEI CHAU/LEI TUNG ESTATES AND CENTRAL, MR LUI SAID THERE WAS LITTLE JUSTIFICATION FOR INTRODUCING ANOTHER AIR-CONDITIONED SERVICE FROM THE TWO ESTATES WHILE THERE WAS NONE IN SEVERAL OTHER PARTS IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT.

THE APPLICATION FROM CMB TO OPERATE ROUTE 590 FROM LEI TUNG AND AP LEI CHAU ESTATES FROM AUGUST 1, USING FOUR BUSES, WAS RECEIVED ON JULY 16, FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FIRST AIR-CONDITIONED BUS ROUTE 537 FROM CHI FU TO CENTRAL.

NOTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS NEVER GIVEN APPROVAL FOR THE OPERATION OF ROUTE 590, MR LUI SAID THE DEPARTMENT REPLIED ON JULY 26 ADVISING CMB THAT THE ROUTE WAS NOT AN APPROPRIATE CANDIDATE FOR THE SECOND AIR-CONDITIONED ROUTE AND CMB SHOULD DEPLOY ITS LIMITED NUMBER OF NEW AIR-CONDITIONED BUSES TO OTHER PLACES WHERE THERE WERE NO AIR-CONDITIONED BUS SERVICES.

"TWO MEETINGS WERE SUBSEQUENTLY HELD WITH CMB'S MANAGEMENT ON JULY 27 AND 28 IN WHICH THE BUS COMPANY SUGGESTED A REVISED PROPOSAL TO OPERATE SEVEN NEW AIR-CONDITIONED BUSES FROM LEI TUNG TO CENTRAL WITH EFFECT FROM MID-AUGUST.

REPLIED

"IN RESPONSE TO THIS VERBAL PROPOSAL, THE DEPARTMENT ON JULY 30 EMPHASISING THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL PLACES IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT WHICH HAVE NO AIR-CONDITIONED BUS SERVICES SUCH AS WAH FU, STANLEY, CHUNG HOM KOK AND WONG CHUK HANG, HE SAID.

"

/A WRITTEN