ENG-2007 — Page 293

Transport 241

Non-franchised Buses

Non-franchised bus services play a supplementary role in the public transport system. They relieve heavy demand on regular public transport services primarily during peak hours, fill the gaps which cannot be met by regular public transport services and provide tailor-made services to specific groups of passengers. They mainly serve tourists, groups of residents, employees and students. At year-end, there were 7 067 registered non-franchised buses of which 6 945 were in operation.

Based on the recommendations of the Transport Advisory Committee's review of the licensing and regulatory framework for non-franchised bus operation completed in July 2004, the Government continued to implement measures to improve the regulation of non-franchised bus operation in 2007. The

in 2007. The measures aim at coordinating the change in non-franchised bus services with demand; strengthening control over non-franchised bus operation; and enhancing effectiveness and efficiency of enforcement actions.

Minibuses

Hong Kong's minibuses are licensed to carry a maximum of 16 passengers. At year-end, there were 6 226 licensed minibuses. Of these, 4 349 were public light buses (PLBs), and 1 877 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 provide scheduled services with fixed routing, fares, vehicle allocation and timetables stipulated by the Transport Department. During the year, there were 2 901 green minibuses operating 354 routes, which recorded a daily average of 1 427 600 passenger trips. Red minibuses are not required to operate on fixed routes or timetables. They may set their own fares but are subject to certain restrictions on their operating areas. There were 1 449 red minibuses in operation and they recorded a daily average of 404 000 passenger trips during the year.

The Transport Department and the Quality Public Light Bus Service Steering Committee have launched a series of schemes to improve the quality of the PLB service. To improve communication between passengers, the trade and the Government, the department published a PLB Newsletter in November.

The department also continued to promote and facilitate the provision of on- board facilities for passengers. As regards safety, three workshops were held for the operators and PLB drivers during the year to remind trade members and drivers about the importance of driving safely. Representatives of the trade, the Police and the Transport Department collaborated in drawing up a 'Code of Practice for PLB Drivers' and 'Guidelines for Picking up/Setting Down Passengers for PLB Drivers' which were introduced in March. The department also continued to assist the Vocational Training Council (VTC) in running an 'Advanced PLB Driver Training Course' under the VTC's 'Skill Upgrading Scheme'.

Furthermore, all PLBs now have speed display devices (SDD). The installation of SDDs will become mandatory from May 1, 2008 onwards, and any unauthorised