XN000022-1992-10-03 — Page 2

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1992

FEWER COMPLAINTS AGAINST TAXI SERVICES

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THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AGAINST TAXI SERVICES QUARTER OF THIS YEAR DROPPED TO 582 COMPARED WITH 663 QUARTER, REPRESENTING A DECREASE OF 12.2 PER CENT.

IN

THE

IN

SECOND THE FIRST

BY THE

THIS WAS SHOWN IN THE LATEST QUARTERLY REPORT RELEASED TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE'S TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT (TCU) TODAY (SATURDAY).

"OF THESE, 556 CASES OR 96 PER CENT ARE ABOUT TAXI DRIVER MALPRACTICES. MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS ARE RELATED TO OVERCHARGING (276 CASES) AND REFUSING HIRE (104 CASES),' A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TCU SAID.

"TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF TAXI SERVICES, THE COMMITTEE HAS ENDORSED A NUMBER OF MEASURES AGAINST TAXI DRIVER MALPRACTICES INCLUDING TAXI-METER TAMPERING, HE SAID.

"THE COMMITTEE HAS ALSO INITIATED A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF TAXI POLICY. A CONSULTATIVE PAPER WILL BE ISSUED AT THE END OF THIS MONTH FOR WIDE PUBLIC CONSULTATION, HE ADDED.

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DURING THE SECOND QUARTER, THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 2,398 COMPLAINTS, COMPARED WITH 2,316 IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

OF THESE, 1,350 OR 56 PER CENT WERE ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES, AS AGAINST 1,302 CASES IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR.

THERE WERE 533 COMPLAINTS ABOUT FRANCHISED BUS SERVICES + COMPARED WITH 482 IN THE FIRST QUARTER. OF THESE, 382 WERE ABOUT NON-ADHERENCE TO SCHEDULED FREQUENCIES, STAFF CONDUCT INSUFFICIENT PASSENGER SERVICES.

+

AND

THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON BUS SCHEDULES AND ROUTEINGS KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES DROPPED FROM 100 ΤΟ THOSE ON HONG KONG ISLAND INCREASED FROM 20 TO 41.

IN

75.

HOWEVER,

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THERE WERE 247 COMPLAINTS ON ROAD CONGESTION, OF WHICH 46 WERE ON HONG KONG ISLAND, 97 IN KOWLOON AND 102 IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

"FACTORS CONTRIBUTING ΤΟ ROAD CONGESTION INCLUDED TRAFFIC LIGHT PHASING, VEHICLE OBSTRUCTION AND ROAD WORKS, HE ADDED.

THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS CONCERNING ROAD MAINTENANCE ROSE BY 93 TO 172. THE MAJOR COMPLAINTS WERE OFFECTIVE ROAD SURFACES, FAULTY TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND DAMAGED TRAFFIC SIGNS OR AIDS.

THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT TRAFFIC! ROSE MARGINALLY FROM 153 CASES TO 158.

MANAGEMENT MEASURES

/AREAS OF