TD responds to Ombudsman's investigation into monitoring mechanism for bus services

     In response to the announcement of the Ombudsman to initiate a direct investigation into the mechanism of the Transport Department (TD) for monitoring the frequencies of franchised bus services, a spokesman for the TD today (October 18) said the department would fully co-operate with the Ombudsman in the investigation.

     "The five franchised bus companies currently operate about 570 bus routes and carry about 3.7 million passengers daily. All along, the TD has been closely monitoring the level of franchised bus services through various channels. These include checking the operational records submitted by franchised bus companies and initiating site inspections, as well as gauging public views on bus services from different channels," the spokesman said.

     "Besides, when there is a public complaint, we will request the bus company concerned to investigate and, if necessary, arrange for an independent survey to look into the case. The TD will continue to closely monitor the level of franchised bus services and handle public complaints, and will review the mechanism and complaint handling procedures from time to time," the spokesman added.

     The TD expects that the findings and recommendations of the investigation by the Ombudsman can help further improve the efficiency of the existing monitoring mechanism. We will carefully study the findings of the investigation and consider the recommendations when they are available.

Ends/Thursday, October 18, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:45

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