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The first normal Saturday (July 8) since the implementation of the five-day week initiative in the Transport Department (TD) went smoothly. Commissioner for Transport Alan Wong visited the licensing offices and vehicle examination centre in the morning.
"We have deployed staff members to station outside licensing offices in Admiralty, Cheung Sha Wan, Kwun Tong and Sha Tin, as well as Vehicle Examination Centres in Kowloon Bay, To Kwa Wan and Sheung Kwai Chung to provide assistance to members of the public. The assistance given included provision of commonly used forms and stationery so as to facilitate them to fill in the application forms and put in the drop-in box. The situation on the whole is smooth," Mr Wong said.
"We will continue to closely monitor the public's reaction to service delivery and feedback from clients, and review the operation arrangement in August," Mr Wong added.
A department spokesman said that most of the members of the public already knew the new opening hours of the department. About 40 people visited the licensing offices in the morning.
The spokesman reminded that office opening hours had been extended by 30 to 60 minutes from Monday to Friday. Starting from July 1, the new opening hours are as follows:
* Transport Department Headquarters (8.30 am to 5.45 pm)
* Transport Department Regional Office (8.30 am to 5.45 pm)
* Licensing Offices (9 am to 5 pm, no lunch break)
* Driving Test Appointment Office (9 am to 5 pm, no lunch break)
* Driving Test Offices and Driving Test Written Test Centre (9 am to 5 pm)
* Kowloon Bay, To Kwan Wan and Sheung Kwai Chung Vehicle Examination Centres (8.45 am to 5 pm)
The spokesman stressed that emergency and essential services, including the monitoring of public transport services and traffic conditions by the Emergency Coordination Centre and operation of the control room for Area Traffic Control would continue to operate round the work.
The public can visit the department's website (http://www.td.gov.hk), call the Government hotline 1823, the department's hotline 2804 2600 or the department's five-day week dedicated hotline 1834567, for the opening hours and other information.
Ends/Saturday, July 8, 2006
Issued at HKT 13:13
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