Category: Buses
Tai Po crash inquiry to examine all Hong Kong bus services
An independent inquiry into the Tai Po bus crash will examine all Hong Kong bus operations, including Lantau services.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the inquiry after visiting accident victims last night.
She said the commission will be headed by a judge and would come up with recommendations to ensure the city’s public transport system is “reliable and safe.”
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said the inquiry would examine “the wider perspective, the whole question of safety, particularly in terms of passengers’ safety in relation to franchised buses and minbuses, etc., in order to prevent a similar accident from happening in the future.”
Nineteen people died and 65 were injured when a KMB bus overturned on a downhill stretch of Tai Po Road at 6pm last night. The driver has been arrested over dangerous driving offences.
It was Hong Kong’s worst accident since 2003.
It follows another in Sham Shui Po in October involving an E21A route Citybus on its way to Ho Man Tin from Tung Chung, in which three died and 29 were injured .
Hong Kong’s two union groupings have blamed the accident on working conditions at KMB.
RTHK reported this afternoon that the Motor Transport Workers General Union, an affiliate of the pro-Beijing FTU,
criticized the company, saying KMB drivers were not allowed enough rest. The union also said KMB’s poor pay is the reason it faces a shortage of drivers.
The independent HKCTU is taking a similar position, SCMP.com reported.
Wong Yu-loi of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions cited excessive hours, a shortage of qualified drivers and poor pay as long-standing problems.
Wong said he was angry and disappointed that officials had failed to review guidelines and policy following another fatal crash in Sham Shui Po last September, which killed three.
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung had pledged to review the guidelines at the time, calling for tighter conditions tied to overtime.
The unions have some backing from executive councillor Fanny Law, who has said the inquiry should review manpower and rostering issues at franchised bus companies.
KMB is the biggest of the city’s five franchised bus operators, with a fleet of 3,920 and carrying 2.71 million passengers a day in 2016.
New Lantao Bus is the smallest, with 121 vehicles and carrying an average 71,900 passengers per day.
On Lantau, North Lantau Highway is the worst accident blackspot, including one in November that injured 18.
South Lantau residents and police have expressed concern about buses speeding on the narrow roads. A bus and a car were involved in a collision near Pui O this morning.
The last fatality was two years ago, when a bus struck a pedestrian in Tung Chung.
(Photo: SCMP.com screenshot)
Transport Dept calls on NLB to cut costs after “not satisfactory” financial result
The Transport Department says it is encouraging New Lantao Bus Co to find ways to cut costs after a first-half result that was “not satisfactory.”
The bus operator, a subsidiary of listed Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings, reported a HK$3.6 million loss in the first six months which it attributed to higher operating costs, including fuel and wages.
However, despite warning earlier in mid-2017 of the need to rationalise services to save money, no cuts were made.
The TD said that after winning the tender to service two new routes to the HK-Macau bridge border crossing, and with new housing developments in Mui Wo and Tung Chung, “it is anticipated that NLB’s financial performance will be improved.”
In a statement, it said it would “encourage NLB to explore measures to control costs with a view to improving its financial performance.”
But while no major rationalisation was required, the department would closely monitor passenger numbers and “implement rationalisation of bus services as and when necessary.”
New Year’s Eve: Mui Wo ferry suspended from 11pm-3am
Ferry services will be suspended during the New Year’s fireworks display tonight, with no boats leaving Central between 11pm and 3am.
The last ferries on the Lantau route will leave Mui Wo and Central at 10:50pm and 11pm respectively.
The regular 11:40 and 12:30am services from Central will be cancelled.
Revellers wishing to take the ferry back to Mui Wo will have to wait for the 3am sailing.
MTR: All-night service
MTR lines will run all night.
Tung Chung Line trains will leave Hong Kong Station every six minutes from 8pm-2am, and every 12 minutes from 2am-6am.
Bus timetable unchanged
New Lantao Bus services will run unchanged tonight. Services as follows:
The 3M will depart Tung Chung for South Lantau at 12:15am, 12:50am and 6am.
The 11 will depart Tung Chung at 12:40, 1:20 and 6:20am.
The N35 will depart the airport for South Lantau at 1:30 and 4:30am.
The N1 will depart Mui Wo for Tai O at 3:45am.
NLB mobile app now shows expected bus arrival times
Starting today, New Lantao Bus (NLB) is trialing a service that allows passengers to find out the likely arrival time of their bus.
Available through the NLB mobile app, it applies to routes 1R、11、23、34、36、37、37H、37M and 38.
The company does not say when it will extend the service to other routes.
To use the service, first download the app (above left) from the Apple Store or Google Play, then go to the main page and select the route and direction.
On the next page, select the bus stop and it will automatically show the estimated arrival times of the next three buses on that route (above right)).
After warning of service cuts, New Lantao Bus posts loss
It may surprise Lantau commuters struggling to get a ride, but New Lantao Bus (NLB) has just posted a loss.
Even more counter-intuitive, it warned earlier this year that it would “rationalise” some of its loss-making South Lantau services.
That it has not done so may be because of a recent piece of good news: it successfully tendered for two new routes between Tung Chung and the HK-Macau bridge.
Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings, NLB’s parent, has just reported a HK$3.6 million loss in its Lantau operations for the first six months, despite an 8% rise in revenue to HK$85.5 million.
In the same period last year NLB, Lantau’s sole bus operator, achieved sales of HK$78.9 million, yielding a profit of HK$2.8 million.
Kwoon Chung attributed the result to a “significant rise in operating costs, including but not limited to fuel, wages, insurance and repair and maintenance.”
The company doesn’t break down the results further.
But it says this year, as in previous years, NLB’s most profitable segments are the Tung Chung routes, such as the Yat Tung shuttle, and its services to Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long and Shenzhen Bay.
The 2016-17 annual report said these were “still profitable” but:
A large majority of other bus routes are at losses or just break even. In order to maintain its service standards, NLB shall work closely with the Transport Department and the local community to rationalise some of these loss making routes.
Since that was issued in July the company has not cut any services, and Kwoon Chung says the newly-awarded routes to the HZM Bridge would bring “stable and reasonable profits.”
Perhaps the warning was a genuine heads-up to shareholder, or perhaps it was a not-so subtle signal to transport officials.
Lantau News has sought responses from NLB and the Transport Department.
NLB, which runs 124 buses on 23 routes, is a small part of the Kwoon Chung group.
The parent company recorded a 47% slide in profit for the period. Total revenue was $1.16 billion.
Two new bus routes to link Tung Chung and airport
With the opening of the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Tung Chung residents are to get two new bus routes to the airport.
The service, due to start when the bridge opens, will eventually run 24 hours a day, HK01 reports.
New Lantao Bus (NLB) and Citybus have won the tenders to provide service on three new routes between the new border crossing and North Lantau,
NLB will carry passengers on two routes from the new Tung Chung West housing development, through Tung Chung and then to the airport and new border crossing.
Citybus will run between the border and Sunny Bay.
The Tung Chung route will take about 10 minutes, with two to three stops, according to Transport Dept advice to NLB. Fares are yet to be determined.
The company expects it will need 11 to 12 buses to operate on the two routes. In future, it will need to hire an additional 30 drivers to provide a 24-hour service.
Officially, the bridge is still due to open by the end of 2017, but because of a series of delays appears likely to open for traffic some time in 2018.
Free bus and ferry rides for elderly on Sunday
Passengers 65 years and over can ride for free on buses and ferries on Sunday.
New Lantao Bus, KMB and Citybus and New World First Ferry are offering the free service to celebrate Senior Citizens’ Day.
For the ferry, passengers need show their senior citizen card. On NLB and Citybus buses, they should show their senior card or Hong Kong ID.
For KMB or Longwin buses, they should show their card or use the Elderly Octopus.
The offer does not apply to the MTR.
Two arrested over indecent assault on Tung Chung bus
Two men were arrested following an alleged sexual assault on a bus in Tung Chung last night.
Police say a 35-year-old woman and her 39-year-old friend were indecently assaulted by a man surnamed Choi, 43, in a bus on Kin Tung Rd in Tung Chung North, Oriental Daily reported.
A male friend of the women, a 32-year-old named Hong, is alleged to have then punched Choi in the face, causing an eye injury.
Police went to the scene and arrested Choi and sent him to hospital. They also took Hong into custody over the assault on Choi. Inquiries are continuing.
Mui Wo bus & ferry operators to add capacity but not new services
Lantau bus and ferry companies are adding capacity to meet the expected spike in passengers next year, but have no plans to schedule extra services.
With Mui Wo’s population expected to increase by as much as 40% in the second half of 2018, First Ferry has ordered five new large vessels and the New Lantao Bus Company is tendering for double-decker buses,
But First Ferry says even with the new boats it won’t have capacity for new services.
Transport, police and Hospital Authority officials as well as public transport operators appeared before the Islands District Council meeting early this week to explain how they are preparing for Mui Wo’s growth spurt. As many as 2000 residents will move into two new Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) estates starting next August.
First Ferry has bought five new 423-seat vessels – previously the largest carried just 403 passengers – and says two are already in service. The other three will be deployed from the first quarter of next year.
New Lantao Bus Company is planning to run double-decker buses on the 3M route between Mui Wo and Tung Chung. It said it held a successful trial early this year and has just tendered for 14 double-decker vehicles.
First Ferry communication manager Chow Suk Man told the council morning peak-hour fast ferries were currently running at 80-90% capacity. Already one of the new large ferries is being deployed at 7am from Mui Wo.
But in response to Councillor Randy Yu, who asked if a backup ferry could be deployed in morning peak period, Chow said there was not enough spare capacity.
“If there are school trips or organisations planning to take this particular ferry, and if we are informed in advance, we can arrange a spare ferry for such occasions,” she said. But there was no spare ferry for a permanent arrangement.
Chow acknowledged it was difficult to plan without knowing the exact numbers of likely passengers. The company had requested information from the Transport Department about the size of the working population.
NLB vice chairman Chan Ching Lung said the company believed the double-decker buses could increase carrying capacity by 40-50%. The bus operator runs four special services from Pui O each morning which are 70-80% filled, he said.
Randy Yu sounds alarm on Mui Wo population growth
District Councillor Randy Yu has called on government, police and transport providers to explain how they will cope with Mui Wo’s coming population boom.
The opening of two Housing Department estates in Mui Wo next August will add 700 new homes and increase the population by between 1,700 to 2,000 – a huge spike from the current level of around 5,400.
“The public is greatly concerned about the lack of community facilities,” Yu said in a question tabled to the Islands District Council.
Local residents are worried about the carrying capacity of the ferry and bus services, inadequate parking for cars and bikes, the level of medical services and the lack of police.
Yu, who represents South Lantau, said his office has even received calls from those who have purchased homes in the new estates expressing concern about the expensive ferry fares.
He called on the Transport Department, the Hospital Authority, police and the ferry and bus companies to attend next week’s District Council meeting to explain how they will address these issues.
Lantau Confidential 