LCQ12: Safeguarding traffic safety of bus captains and professional drivers
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Question:
According to the Report of the Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong's Franchised Bus Service published by the Transport Department (TD) in 2019, the Government indicated that it would draw reference from the standards and latest developments of vehicle safety devices overseas, and require franchised bus companies to introduce in-vehicle safety devices to enhance bus safety. However, the number of casualties involving franchised bus traffic accidents announced by the TD has been on an upward trend since 2022. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of (i) the number of casualties of franchised bus captains caused by bus collisions and their percentage in the total number of franchised bus accidents in each of the past five years, and (ii) among such cases, the number of those in which the casualties of bus captains were caused by impacts on the front ends of the buses, with a tabulated breakdown by severity of casualties (i.e. death, serious injury and slight injury);
(2) as some members of the sector have relayed that the front ends of franchised buses lack structures that can withstand collisions, and in the event of collisions, the bus captains are often in a position of being impacted at close range with a higher risk of injury, whether the Government will consider enacting legislation to require the installation of protective devices such as airbags at the captain seats of franchised buses, so as to reduce the risk of injury to bus captains in cases of collisions at the front ends of the buses; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether the Government has, over the past 10 years, proposed relevant legislative amendments to safeguard the safety of bus captains and other professional drivers; if so, (i) of the main directions and contents of the amendments concerned, (ii) whether the amendments were proposed in the light of overseas standards and developments, or were initiated by the Government having regard to the current traffic situations in Hong Kong, and (iii) of the specific effectiveness of the amendments in safeguarding the safety of professional drivers; if the Government has not proposed such legislative amendments, whether it has plans to do so, and of the relevant timetable; and
(4) whether it has plans to introduce measures to further safeguard the traffic safety of bus captains and professional drivers; if so, of the specific plans and expected targets?
Reply:
President,
The Government attaches great importance to the safety of franchised bus captains and professional drivers and works collaboratively with the trade through various channels and measures to enhance the safety awareness of professional drivers, thereby ensuring the safety of both drivers and passengers. Having consulted the Transport Department (TD), our response to the questions raised by the Hon Gary Zhang is as follows:
(1) In the past five years, the number of casualties of franchised bus captains (i) in traffic accidents involving collision with franchised buses and their ratios to the total number of franchised bus traffic accidents; and (ii) in traffic accidents where the front end of the franchised bus was the first point of impact in collision are at Annex.
(2) Currently, the franchised buses operating in Hong Kong are manufactured in the Mainland and Europe, and all of which comply with international safety standards. They must be designed and manufactured in accordance with the requirements of the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations (Cap. 374A)(the Regulations). Under the Regulations, every bus must be constructed of suitable materials, and its design and construction methods must be able to withstand the loads and stresses that may be encountered during operation. All buses, whether imported as complete vehicles or assembled in Hong Kong, must pass the stringent vehicle examinations of the TD before entering service, with a view to ensuring that their structure, safety, and performance meet the required standards.
The main thrust of the international safety standards is to ensure the overall structural safety of buses, reducing the risk of injury to drivers in accidents. There is no mandatory requirement for buses to be equipped with airbags. According to bus manufacturers, if bus captains wear seat belts properly and sit securely on their seats, it will effectively reduce the risk of their heads and chests colliding with hard objects during collision, thereby minimising serious injuries. On the suggestion of installing airbags, due to the relatively large surface area of the bus captain's cabin, the large airbags may cause a strong impact on bus captains when deployed. Nonetheless, we will continue to take heed of the effectiveness of safety installations (including airbags) and study whether such installations can strengthen the protection of bus captains and how to effectively enhance the protection of bus captains.
The TD will continue to maintain close communication with bus manufacturers and franchised bus operators (FBOs). In line with the technological developments, the TD will encourage FBOs to conduct trials of and introduce suitable safety equipment to further enhance bus safety and protect drivers.
(3) and (4) The Government and public transport operators are committed to enhancing the safety of services and protecting the safety of professional drivers through various measures.
In recent years, the Government has been actively motivating the operators to enhance safety by leveraging technology. For example, since 2023, over 95 per cent of buses in the franchised bus fleet have been equipped with the driver management and control system. If bus captains engage in risky driving behaviors (such as speeding, sharp cornering, harsh braking and harsh acceleration), the system will issue driving safety warnings. It will also rate the performance of bus captains to encourage them to cultivate good driving habits and skills and continuously improve driving safety standards to prevent accidents during work. In addition, FBOs have widely adopted various advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including anti-collision and lane-keeping warning systems, and driver monitoring system to assist bus captains in safe driving. More than 2 000 franchised buses (i.e. over 30 per cent) (including all buses operating airport routes and some long-haul routes) have been equipped with the above ADAS and driver monitoring system. FBOs will install relevant systems on newly purchased buses gradually subject to circumstances.
On the other hand, it is crucial for professional drivers to maintain a good work-rest schedule to ensure safe driving. A proper work-rest schedule helps drivers stay alert at work and reduce the risk of fatigue driving.
The TD has formulated the "Guidelines on Bus Captain Working Hours, Rest Times and Meal Break" (Guidelines), requiring FBOs to ensure their compliance with the Guidelines in arranging duty rosters for their bus captains to provide them with adequate rest time. FBOs are also required to submit reports to the TD on a monthly basis. The TD also conducts regular surveys on the arrangements of bus captains' working hours, rest times and meal breaks. At present, all FBOs generally comply with the Guidelines in arranging rosters for bus captains. Additionally, the TD has required FBOs to include a module of sleep and fatigue management in their training programmes for bus captains. In December 2023, the TD issued the "Practice Note on Franchised Bus Captains Fatigue Management" to all FBOs, setting out good practices in preventing and managing fatigue for reference. For instance, FBOs should encourage and arrange regular health check-ups for bus captains.
The TD has all along been organising activities jointly with FBOs to enhance safety awareness of the trade. For instance, the TD held the Bus Safety Excellence Award Ceremony in 2024 and 2025 to commend employees (including bus captains, driving instructors, inspectors/regulators, and engineer/mechanic teams) with excellent performances in enhancing bus safety in daily operations, with a view to encouraging the trade to promote safety awareness with ongoing efforts.
For drivers of public light buses (PLB), non-franchised buses and taxis, the TD has also formulated guidelines on working hours for the trade and relevant operators to arrange work schedules in accordance with the guidelines. Drivers can refer to the guidelines to monitor their driving hours so as to avoid fatigue driving and ensure safety. Furthermore, the TD has been convening regular meetings with the PLB and taxi trades as well as distributing newsletters on a regular basis to remind them of safe driving. In collaboration with the Police, the TD has also been organising safety seminars for PLB and taxi drivers from time to time to promote safe driving knowledge and enhance their safety awareness.
Ends/Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:40
Issued at HKT 11:40
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