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Following is a question by the Hon Tang Ka-piu and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (December 2):
Question:
Regarding the development of information systems by franchised bus companies to provide passengers waiting for buses with information on the real-time departure and estimated arrival times of their buses (real-time bus service information), will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
(1) the respective current numbers and percentages of bus shelters of each franchised bus company (with a breakdown of the figures by franchise if the bus company concerned holds more than one franchise) that are equipped with electricity supply and thus can be installed with real-time bus service information display panels (set out in tables of the same format as Table 1 with a breakdown by District Council district);
(2) the respective numbers of (i) public transport interchanges, (ii) bus-bus interchanges, (iii) bus termini and (iv) bus shelters that are installed with real-time bus service information display panels and their respective percentages in the total numbers, the number of bus routes the service information of which is displayed on those panels respectively, and the respective locations of (i) to (iii) (set out the information in Table 2 below); and
(3) if real-time bus service information is available on the web sites and smartphone apps of various franchised bus companies at present; if so, of the respective (i) numbers and (ii) percentages of the bus routes, operated by such companies, the service information of which is available through these two channels (set out in Table 3 below)?
Reply:
President,
My reply to various parts of Hon Tang Ka-piu's question is as follows :
(1) The number of bus shelters equipped with electrical installations is at Annex 1. Franchised bus companies share bus shelters for jointly operated routes to better utilise resources. Different routes operated by franchised bus companies belonging to the same parent group also share a shelter located at the same bus stop where practicable and desirable.
At present, not all bus shelters equipped with electrical installations can be installed with information display panels. In planning for installing information display panels, franchised bus companies would consider various factors which include the actual physical constraints of individual locations, whether a bus stop is mainly used for boarding instead of alighting, the number of waiting passengers, as well as whether there is any plan to relocate or cancel the bus stop concerned within the next few years, etc.
(2) and (3) Currently, franchised bus companies are providing information on service hours, frequencies, termini, en route stops, full and section fares, etc. of individual bus routes for passengers through their websites and smartphone applications (apps). Furthermore, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) and Long Win Bus Company Limited (Long Win) have started to provide passengers with real time arrival information through their websites and smartphone apps since early 2015. Real time arrival information is available for over 360 routes (or around 70 per cent of the companies' routes) so far, and the service will be extended to the remaining routes progressively. Citybus Limited (Franchise for Airport and North Lantau Bus Network) (Citybus (Franchise 2)) also provides real time arrival information for nine airport bus routes through its website and smartphone app. Details are at Annex 2.
Citybus Limited (Franchise for Hong Kong Island and Cross-Harbour Bus Network) (Citybus (Franchise 1)), New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) (Note) and New Lantao Bus Company (1973) Limited (NLB) have not yet provided real time arrival information for their routes. Nevertheless, when the Government granted new franchises to Citybus (Franchise 1) and NLB in September 2015, the two franchised bus companies have committed to introducing real time arrival information systems in phases after commencement of their new franchises in July 2016 and March 2017 respectively. Passengers will then be able to obtain real-time arrival information of all bus routes operated by the two franchisees through mobile platforms (including smartphone apps). Upon the full implementation of the system for bus routes of Citybus (Franchise 1), the system will be extended to all bus routes of NWFB and Citybus (Franchise 2) which belong to the same parent group.
As regards bus service information display panels, the number of public transport interchanges/bus termini, bus-bus interchanges and bus shelters with display panels is set out in Annex 3. The majority of the panels at public transport interchanges/bus termini as well as all panels at bus-bus interchanges and bus shelters are provided by KMB and LW. Franchised bus companies will continue to install information display panels at appropriate locations. In fact, Citybus (Franchise 1) and NLB have undertaken to install about 100 electronic panels in phases to provide real time arrival information at sheltered bus termini or bus shelters with electricity supply under their new franchises.
Note: At present, NWFB provides real time arrival information for sightseeing bus route H1 only.
Ends/Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:24
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