Students reminded to attend schools early on first school day

     The Transport Department today (August 27) reminded students to attend schools early on the first school day next Tuesday (September 1) as traffic was expected to be busier than normal.

     A department spokesman said, "Students should familiarise themselves with the public transport routes to be taken to school and allow more travelling time on the first school day, especially if they are attending a new school. Students living on the outlying islands or attending schools on the outlying islands should check the ferry schedules and the vessel types to be used on their intended ferry trips beforehand."

     Major public transport operators have been reminded to provide adequate public transport services to meet the transport demand on the first school day.

     "The department's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) will closely monitor the traffic situation and public transport services on September 1," the spokesman said. "The department will maintain close liaison with major public transport operators and relevant government departments. Staff will be deployed at various locations over the territory to observe and provide on-site information to the ETCC."

     People can obtain more information through the following hotlines and websites provided by the major public transport operators:

Operator             Hotline       Website
----------          ---------     ----------
New World           2136 8888    http://www.nwfb.com.hk/
 First Bus
CityBus             2873 0818    http://www.citybus.com.hk/
Kowloon Motor Bus   2745 4466    http://www.kmb.com.hk
 and Long Win Bus
New Lantao Bus      2984 9848    http://www.newlantaobus.com/
New World           2131 8181    http://www.nwff.com.hk/
 First Ferry
Hong Kong and       2815 6063    http://www.hkkf.com.hk/
 Kowloon Ferry
MTR Corporation     2881 8888    http://www.mtr.com.hk
 Limited

     Motorists are urged not to drive to the school areas if possible. Drivers of nanny vans and school buses should not carry excess passengers and leave schoolchildren in vehicles unattended. No picking up and dropping off activities will be allowed in restricted zones. Parents should agree well in advance with drivers of nanny vans or school buses the location of picking up and dropping off their children.

     People are advised to pay attention to the latest transport and traffic news on radio and television before leaving home. For enquiries, please call the department's hotline at 2804 2600 and 1823 Call Centre.

Ends/Thursday, August 27, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:31

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