KMB Strengthens Bus Services for First School Day
KMB is well prepared for the first day of the new school year in September. On 1 September, KMB will strengthen bus services on 11 routes during the morning peak hours. Outdoor staff will visit various districts in the early morning to ensure bus operations are smooth and to handle any contingencies that may arise. At today’s press session, KMB’s Principal Inspector, Mr. Cheng Yuk Man, introduced the bus service arrangements in various districts on the first school day.
During the morning rush hour on the first school day, KMB will strengthen bus services by increasing the number of buses on 11 routes, comprising Routes 6C, 7B, 8 and 12A in Kowloon Districts, Route 71A in Tai Po District, Routes 83K, 85K and 86K in Sha Tin District, Route 261 in Tuen Mun District and Route 273A and 276A in North District. KMB will also reserve 30 buses which will be kept on stand-by at depots and major bus termini for special deployment in case of need.
Mr. Cheng said, “On the morning of the first school day, we will closely monitor the bus services in major school areas, such as Ho Man Tin, Tsz Wan Shan, Kowloon Tong, Kwai Tsing and Ma On Shan. In Ho Man Tin, we will pay special attention to the services of Route 8 and Route 17. Starting from 5:30am, KMB inspectors will be stationed at the bus stops in Wuhu Street and Ma Tau Chung Road to monitor the passenger demand, and to arrange buses to go straight to the bus stops to clear the queues when necessary. In Kowloon City and Kowloon Tong, we will also monitor Route 12A closely. Inspectors will be stationed at Lai Chi Kok Road Bus Stop on Boundary Street to handle any contingencies that may arise there.”
On the same morning, inspectors will maintain communications with the terminus supervisors of relevant areas and KMB’s Traffic Control Centre. Equipped with the emergency hotline system, the Traffic Control Centre will also keep in touch with the Transport Department’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) and the control centre of the MTRC so that action can be taken in the event of an emergency. KMB will also arrange for a staff member to be stationed at the ETCC to directly monitor and coordinate the traffic. To ensure the smooth traffic flow of buses serving school areas, KMB has also asked the Police via the Transport Department to pay attention to traffic obstructions at bus stops caused by passengers boarding and alighting school buses and taxis.
Mr. Cheng said, “For many students starting Primary One or Secondary One, 1 September is an exciting and nerve-wracking day. Often, the entire family, including grandparents, father, mother and helper will accompany them to school, contributing to a warm and vibrant atmosphere. I remember there was once a mother taking two kids to the bus stop. She was very worried when she saw the queues there and tried to run across the road to stop a taxi. I went up to her and asked her which school they were going to, and told her that a bus would be arriving in a few minutes. She calmed down after hearing that.”
Mr. Cheng reminded students to go to school earlier on the first school day, since bus services may be affected by adverse traffic conditions, especially in the event of a typhoon or bad weather. Students should also pay attention to the traffic reports on radio and television. If students do not know of any bus routes serving their schools, especially students attending new schools, they should call the KMB Customer Service Hotline 2745-4466 or use the point-to-point route search function of the KMB website www.kmb.hk for details of routes, bus stops and journey times. Information on bus frequency and photographs of all bus stops are also available on the website.
KMB Strengthens Bus Services for First School Day
