Government sets up independent committee to review Hong Kong's franchised bus service
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     The Chief Executive announced today (March 13) that an Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong's Franchised Bus Service has been set up, and appointed the Honourable Mr Justice Michael Victor Lunn as the Chairman of the Committee and Mr Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen and Professor Lo Hong-kam as Members of the Committee. 

     The Committee will formally commence its work in late March 2018, and will submit a report to the Chief Executive in around nine months' time.

     The Government attaches great importance to recent serious incidents involving franchised buses. Upon the occurrence of the fatal incident on Tai Po Road on February 10, the Chief Executive announced on the same day that an independent committee chaired by a judge would be set up to comprehensively review the operation and monitoring of franchised buses so as to ensure that public bus services of Hong Kong are safe and reliable.
 
     The Terms of Reference of the Committee are as follows:
 
From the point of view of safety, in the light of the fatal accident on February 10 and other recent serious incidents involving franchised buses in Hong Kong:
 
(a) to examine the operation and management of bus franchises under the current legislative, franchise and other contractual requirements;
 
(b) to examine the present regulatory and monitoring system for franchised buses; and
 
(c) in relation to the above, to make recommendations to the Chief Executive on safety-related measures with a view to sustaining a safe and reliable franchised bus service in Hong Kong.
 
     The Committee may invite submissions from interested parties and from the public on the above matters and should use its best endeavours to submit its report within nine months. Issues relating to the causes and liability of persons involved in the fatal accident on February 10 will be investigated by the Police and fall outside the Committee's terms of reference.
 
     Brief biographies of the Chairperson and Members of the Committee are as follows:
 
Chairperson
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     The Honourable Mr Justice Michael Victor Lunn is Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court. He served as a Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court. From October 2012 to April 2013, he was Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances leading to the collision of two vessels near Lamma Island on October 1, 2012.
 
Members
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     Mr Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen is the Chairman of the Council of Lingnan University. He was the Chairman of the Principal Financial Group - Asia. He was also a member of the Investment-linked Assurance and Pooled Retirement Funds Committee of the Securities and Futures Commission. Professor Lo Hong-kam is the Chair Professor and Department Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, as well as the Convenor of the Railway Objections Hearing Panel. He was also a member of the Transport Advisory Committee.

Ends/Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Issued at HKT 12:50

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