ENG-2003 — Page 308

TRANSPORT

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CTB operates two bus networks under two franchises. One of the franchises comprises 66 bus routes on Hong Kong Island and 31 cross-harbour routes, 23 of which are operated jointly with KMB. Another franchise comprises a network of 16 routes linking major districts in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon with Tung Chung and the airport.

At year-end, CTB had a licensed fleet of 940 buses, all of which were air- conditioned, and 124 wheelchair-accessible. The company recorded 207.3 million passenger trips (a daily average of 568 044 passenger trips) and covered 82.8 million kilometres during the year. Fares ranged from $2.50 to $45 for its regular routes. Concessionary fares were offered to children aged under 12, and elderly passengers on Hong Kong Island routes (except recreational routes) and on cross-harbour and Tung Chung/airport routes.

The Long Win Bus Company Limited (LW) provides bus services between the New Territories and Tung Chung/the airport. The company recorded 19.3 million passenger trips (a daily average of 52 766 passenger trips) and covered 22.7 million kilometres in 2003. At year-end, 145 buses were serving a total of 15 routes: all were air-conditioned and 136 wheelchair-accessible. Fares ranged from $3.50 to $28 for its regular routes. The company also offers concessionary fares for children aged under 12 and elderly passengers on all routes.

The New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited (NLB) mainly provides bus services on Lantau Island. The company recorded 9.7 million passenger trips (a daily average of 26 523 passenger trips) and covered five million kilometres during the year. It runs 25 routes with a licensed fleet of 80 vehicles. Fares ranged from $2.50 to $40 for its regular routes. Children aged under 12 and elderly passengers are offered concessionary fares on all routes.

Bus-Bus Interchange schemes are being introduced to encourage more efficient use of bus resources and limited road space and to allow more choice for passengers. Fare discounts are offered to passengers when interchanging among designated bus routes. By year-end, a total of 120 Bus-Bus Interchange schemes had been implemented, involving a total of 368 routes.

Non-franchised Buses

Non-franchised bus services perform a supplementary role in the public transport system. They mainly serve tourists, groups of residents, employees and students, and help to reduce peak hour demand for other public transport services. At year-end, there were 7 296 licensed non-franchised buses in operation.

Minibuses

Hong Kong's minibuses are licensed to carry a maximum of 16 passengers. At year- end, there were 6 266 licensed minibuses. Of these, 4 343 were public light buses. (PLBs), and 1 923 were private light buses. Private light buses are authorised to carry only group passengers and are not allowed to collect separate fares.

There are two types of PLBs: 'green' and 'red' minibuses. Green minibuses (GMBs) provide scheduled services with fixed routeing, fares, vehicle allocation and timetables stipulated by the Transport Department. There were 2 625 GMBS operating 349 routes which recorded a daily average of 1 141 000 passengers trips in 2003. Red minibuses (RMBs) are not required to operate on fixed routes or timetables and they may set their own fares, but they are subject to certain restrictions on their operating