XN000022-1992-08-13 — Page 4

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1992

ENHANCED PROGRAMME TO IMPROVE FERRY SERVICES

THE HONGKONG AND YAUMATI FERRY (HYF), IN CONSULTATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT, IS LAUNCHING AN ENHANCED PROGRAMME TO IMPROVE THE FERRY SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC.

AS PART OF ITS PLAN TO STRENGTHEN SERVICES TO TUEN

MUN, HYF WILL EXTEND BEFORE THE END OF THIS MONTH ITS SERVICES BETWEEN TUEN MUN AND CENTRAL TO THE STAR FERRY PIER IN KOWLOON DURING MORNING PEAK HOURS.

THIS FOLLOWS THE RECENT ADDITION OF FIVE MORE SAILINGS, THREE IN THE MORNING AND TWO IN THE EVENING, ON THE TUEN MUN-CENTRAL ROUTE.

CONSIDERATION IS ALSO GIVEN BY HYF TO BUY TWO HIGH-SPEED FERRIES, EACH WITH A PASSENGER CAPACITY OF 350, TO SERVE THE TUEN MUN- CENTRAL ROUTE.

THE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME WAS OUTLINED TODAY (THURSDAY) AT A LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL'S AD HOC GROUP MEETING BY THE COMPANY AND THE ADMINISTRATION.

GROUP MEMBERS WERE TOLD THAT THE SERVICE TO TSUEN WAN HAD ALREADY BEEN STRENGTHENED WITH AN ADDITIONAL SAILING VIA TSING YI TO CENTRAL IN THE MORNING AND AN EXTENSION OF THE TSUEN WAN-CENTRAL ROUTE TO WAN CHAI.

FOR OUTLYING ISLANDS, SINCE THE NEW FARE SCALE CAME INTO EFFECT, THE ROUTE OF MUI WO-CENTRAL VIA PENG CHAU HAS BEEN SPLIT INTO TWO INDEPENDENT SERVICES OPERATING ON AN HOURLY BASIS.

FOR THE CENTRAL-CHEUNG CHAU ROUTE, TWO MORE SAILINGS HAVE BEEN ADDED DURING RUSH HOURS ON WEEKDAYS AND ONE SAILING DURING WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS.

A NEW EXCURSION ROUTE ON SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS BETWEEN TAI O AND TSUEN WAN VIA TUEN MUN AND SHA LO WAN WAS INTRODUCED ON JULY 20.

ON FARE STRUCTURE, HYF INTRODUCED HALF FARE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS OVER 65 AND CUT THE FARE OF VEHICULAR FERRY SERVICES BY 50 CENTS.

ON TOP OF THIS, HYF IS ALSO IMPROVING ITS CUSTOMER SERVICE.

A NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE WAS SET UP LAST MONTH TO HANDLE PUBLIC ENQUIRIES. IT WILL CONDUCT A PASSENGER SURVEY LATER THIS MONTH IN TUEN MUN. VIEWS OF PASSENGERS WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN DETERMINING THE FREQUENCY OF THE SERVICES.

IT WILL ALSO SET UP NEW PASSENGER LIAISON GROUPS ON A ROUTE-BY- ROUTE BASIS FOR OUTLYING ISLANDS AND NEW TOWN SERVICES BY THE END OR THIS YEAR,

AT TODAY'S MEETING, THE COMPANY EXPLAINED THAT HYF'S NEW FARE SCALE INTRODUCED ON JULY 20 WAS FAIR AND REASONABLE AND FULLY TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE INTEREST OF THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC, IN PARTICULAR, RESIDENTS ON OUTLYING ISLANDS.

/THE AVERAGE