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Following is a question by the Hon Albert Cheng and a reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, in the Legislative Council meeting today (December 20) :
Question:
It has been reported that, in order to save costs and meet the demand for bus service during peak hours, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) has, in the recent two years, changed the daily driving hours of most of its bus drivers from one session to two. Under the new duty arrangement, bus drivers are given a break of three to four hours after driving for about seven hours in the morning, and then they resume driving for another three to four hours. Some bus drivers have indicated that it is difficult for them to go home for a rest during the break, and the long duty period of 13 to 14 hours has not only caused chronic fatigue, but has also affected their family life. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of traffic accidents involving KMB buses and, among such accidents, the number of those caused by mistakes on the part of the bus drivers, in each of the past three years; and
(b) given that many bus drivers have admitted in a questionnaire survey conducted by academics that they do not have enough sleep and have dozed off while driving, whether the authorities will review afresh such issues as the total daily working hours of bus drivers of franchised bus companies, their duty arrangements and whether they are provided with adequate and reasonable rest time, etc?
Reply:
Madam President,
The numbers of traffic accidents involving the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) were 1,087 and 1,099 in 2004 and 2005 respectively. For the period from January to November in 2006, the number was 1,035. Among these accidents, over 60% were caused by passengers, other road users and situational factors, while the behaviour of bus drivers, such as negligence in driving, accounted for the remaining cases. In 2004, none of the accidents was caused by dozing or drowsy bus drivers, whereas the number of such cases was one in 2005 and two for the period from January to November 2006. Details of the causes of bus accidents involving KMB are set out in Annex I to this reply.
The scheduling arrangements of franchised bus companies have evolved through continuous adjustments and improvements over the years to meet the operational needs of the companies and staff needs. To ensure that drivers of franchised bus companies are given adequate rest time, the Transport Department (TD) issued the Guidelines on Working Schedule for Bus Drivers (the Guidelines) to these companies for implementation. The Guidelines specify the maximum daily working hours, the maximum driving duty duration as well as the breaks to be provided to drivers during their duty shift and between two successive working days. It is the bus companies' responsibility to follow the Guidelines in making appropriate arrangements for their drivers' duties, breaks and mealtime in order to deliver appropriate, efficient and safe bus services. Details of the Guidelines are set out in Annex II to this reply.
As regards our monitoring, the bus companies are required to submit quarterly reports to TD on their implementation of the Guidelines in the preceding quarter. From the information received, all the franchised bus companies have fully implemented the Guidelines. From time to time, TD also reviews the causes of bus accidents and finds that there is no correlation between the occurrence of accidents and the working hours of bus drivers. As mentioned just now, there were very few accidents involving dozing or drowsy bus drivers in the past.
The bus companies discussed with their drivers unions on the Guidelines in 2004. The unions remarked that the scheduling arrangements and working hours were appropriate and further revision to the Guidelines (such as a reduction in the maximum daily working hours or an increase in the minimum duration of break between two successive working days) might affect the income of the bus drivers and reduce the flexibility for individual drivers to swap their duty shifts when necessary.
TD has not received any complaint from bus drivers against the scheduling arrangements since 2004. According to the bus companies, neither have the drivers unions made further comments on the Guidelines.
TD will continue to monitor the implementation of the Guidelines by the bus companies. It must also be pointed out that professional driving skills and proper driving attitude of bus drivers are of great importance in ensuring the safety of passengers, other road users as well as the bus drivers themselves. Therefore, all the franchised bus companies have provided various training courses to ensure that their drivers are equipped with professional skills and proper driving attitude for the sake of road safety.
Ends/Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:40
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