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Following is a question by the Hon Wu Chi-wai and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Yau Shing-mu, in the Legislative Council today (December 4):
Question:
The Government has all along been monitoring and improving the facilities at public transport interchanges (PTIs). It also mentioned in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 Budgets that it would continue to review the scope of the management contract for government-owned covered PTIs. As regards public transport operators, the New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB), the Citybus Limited (CTB) and the Long Win Bus Company Limited pledged to enhance passenger information when they were granted new franchises last year. NWFB has planned to install information display panels (display panels) at a number of bus termini, and it has also provided real-time bus arrival enquiry service for the Cityflyer routes of CTB. Apart from those three franchised bus companies, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) has also made improvements in recent years to the facilities in its bus stations to enhance the provision of passenger information, and provided the "Estimated Bus Arrival Time System" at the bus-bus interchange (BBI) on Tuen Mun Road. Besides, I have learnt that KMB plans to introduce a satellite tracking system on some routes (including route nos. 23, 23M and 26M) on a trial basis to enhance fleet management. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the plans implemented by the Government in the past three years to improve the environment for passengers waiting for buses and the facilities at government-owned covered PTIs (including ventilation, illumination, management of passenger flow, barrier-free access and other facilities); whether the Government has any plan at present to carry out new improvement works at such PTIs; if it has, of the details; as it has been reported that some franchised bus companies have submitted to the Transport Department (TD) proposals for improving the environment of PTIs, of the relevant details;
(b) as the Government has mentioned that it would continue to review the scope of the management contract for its covered PTIs, of the names of the PTIs and the contents of the review;
(c) of the efforts made by the three bus companies with new franchises granted in honouring their aforesaid pledges of enhancing passenger information (including the number of bus termini at which the companies have installed, or plan to install, display panels as well as other efforts), with a list of those information and work progress by location;
(d) given that the Government stated in its reply to the question of a Member of this Council in May this year that "[t]aking into account factors such as the operability, reliability and cost-effectiveness of applying the technology concerned in different operating situations, we will consider whether it is necessary to require bus companies, through the franchise or other means, to provide passengers with estimated bus arrival time vide announcing devices at BBIs or mobile phone applications", whether TD or the franchised bus companies have conducted an assessment on the reliability of the real-time bus arrival time enquiry services provided by various franchised bus companies at present; if they have, of the assessment results; if not, when the assessment will be conducted; whether it knows if such companies have any plan at present to extend the enquiry service to cover other bus routes; and
(e) whether it knows the details of KMB's recent plan to introduce technology for enhancing its fleet management; of the assistance TD will render to KMB in respect of such plan?
Reply:
President,
The Government has all along been striving to facilitate and monitor the efforts of franchised bus companies to enhance facility and improve service. My reply to the various parts of the Hon Wu Chi-wai's question is as follows:
(a) The Government owns 59 covered public transport interchanges (PTIs). They were constructed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and standards in terms of design, illumination, ventilation and other aspects prevailing at the time. The Government has been striving to enhance the waiting environment and facilities at PTIs, and to implement appropriate improvement measures at PTIs whenever practicable. Between 2010 and October 2013, the Government completed works to improve the waiting environment and facilities at 45 PTIs as shown in Annex 1. Notwithstanding that the purpose of the works at different PTIs varies, they mainly concern improvement to passenger facilities and passenger flow control, improvement to the ventilation system and improvement to the lighting system. There are currently seven PTIs at which improvement works to the waiting environment and facilities are in progress or in the pipeline (see Annex 1).
Meanwhile, the Transport Department (TD) has been encouraging franchised bus companies to enhance passenger signage and waiting facilities at PTIs. Upon receipt of applications from bus companies, TD will vet such applications from perspectives such as road traffic and pedestrian safety, and co-ordinate and follow up with other relevant departments. For example, to tie in with bus route rationalisation in the North District this year, TD had approved the application from the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) to upgrade the auxiliary facilities at Wah Ming Bus Terminus in Fanling and Sheung Shui Railway Station PTI. Such facilities include bus stop plates, passenger signage and queuing facilities. TD is aware that a bus company is considering improving the design and environment of individual PTIs but has so far only received some conceptual suggestions. Upon receiving detailed proposals, TD will study them in depth.
(b) TD plays a coordinating role in the daily management and maintenance of PTIs. Other relevant departments (such as the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Highways Department, Architectural Services Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department) will follow up on the tasks concerned having regard to their responsibility. This arrangement has worked well. Yet, TD is now reviewing with the relevant departments, from the perspectives of enhancing management efficiency and cost-effectiveness of PTIs, the feasibility of outsourcing the daily management and maintenance of PTIs to service contractors on management contracts. Issues being considered include the merits and drawbacks of changing the existing arrangement as well as the exercise of the statutory power by the relevant departments under any new arrangement. The review takes into account the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the management of all PTIs in general. It is not targeting at any specific or individual PTI(s).
(c) Under their new franchises starting from 2013, New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB), Long Win Bus Company Limited (LW) and Citybus Limited in respect of its franchise for the Airport and North Lantau bus network (Citybus (Franchise 2)) have committed to make the following improvements at their facilities for enhancing dissemination of passenger information:
(1) installing more Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panels at eight major bus termini for displaying route information and departure time of the next bus;
(2) enhancing passenger information provided on-board buses. NWFB and Citybus (Franchise 2) will equip all new buses with LCD panels to display the name of the next bus stops. LW will provide more detailed route information such as bus routes, location of bus stops and service frequencies inside the compartments of all its buses;
(3) providing passenger information and enquiry system via internet and smart phone applications, and further enhancing the system where appropriate; and
(4) providing bus arrival information. Citybus (Franchise 2) will provide real-time bus arrival information on all its airport routes (i.e. "A" routes) through the company's website and smart phone applications; LW will conduct a trial on the provision of real-time bus arrival information on selected routes; and NWFB will provide the estimated bus arrival time of selected routes with lower frequencies based on scheduled bus arrival time at major bus stops and the company's website.
Progress of the above work is set out at Annex 2.
(d) The Government has all along been encouraging and welcomes the adoption of information technology by franchised bus companies to provide passengers with more travelling information and improve bus facilities. Apart from the improvement measures undertaken by the three bus franchises above, another operator is trying out an Estimated Bus Arrival Time System at Tuen Mun Road Bus-Bus Interchange (BBI). Overall speaking, such a system is technically reliable to a certain extent. Yet, it entails considerable capital investment and operation cost. Thus, in considering whether to make wider use of the system, bus companies have to take into account passenger needs and the cost-effectiveness of the system under different operating environment. The Government will continue to keep in view the progress of the use of the Estimated Bus Arrival Time System by bus companies.
(e) As TD understands it, KMB is considering making use of the technology to track the exact locations of travelling buses so that frontline personnel can deploy buses with greater flexibility according to passenger and operational needs. KMB has yet to submit details to TD.
Ends/Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:47
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