Adequate public transport for first school day on Sept 1

There will be adequate public transport services to meet upsurge in transport demand by students on the first school days.

A Transport Department spokesman said today (August 27) that as in past years, major transport operators had been reminded to have standby buses/ferries to meet an upsurge of student demand on the commencement of the new school term. Nanny van and school bus operators are reminded to liaise with parents and schools on the conveyance of students to and from schools; they should pay attention to traffic conditions and drive carefully.

On Wednesday (September 1), the department will activate the Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre to monitor closely the traffic situation and public transport services. There will be close liaison between the department and major public transport operators as well as relevant government departments. Departmental staff will be deployed on site at various locations over the territory to observe and provide on-site information to the co-ordination centre.

The spokesman reminded students to familiarise themselves with the public transport routes to be taken and the traffic routeing to school and to allow more time for travel on the first school day, especially if they are attending a new school this term. All major public transport operators provide hotlines and websites to answer public enquiries.

"In particular, students living on the outlying islands or attending schools on the outlying islands are advised to check the ferry schedules and the journey time of their intended ferry trips beforehand," he said.

The bus companies have been asked to reserve some standby buses for areas where there may be high student demand in the morning peak period to meet the contingency needs.

On road traffic conditions, the spokesman said major government works departments have been requested to avoid starting repair or utility works as far as possible on roads leading to major school areas on the new school term commencement dates. In addition, traffic Police have been asked to monitor those road junctions or sections that are expected to suffer traffic congestion during school hours.

"In view of the possible congestion in school areas, general motorists should avoid these areas if possible. They should also familiarise themselves with the routes and avoid lengthy stops at the kerbside if they need to go to these areas," the spokesman said.

Drivers of nanny vans and school buses have also been reminded to avoid carrying too many passengers and leaving school children on vehicles unattended.

For enquiries on bus and ferry schedules, the public can phone the following hotlines or visit the websites of the major bus and ferry operators:

	New World First Bus 2136 8888 www.nwfb.com.hk/
	CityBus 2873 0818 www.citybus.com.hk/
	Kowloon Motor Bus/ Long Win Bus 2745 4466 www.kmb.com.hk/
	New Lantao Bus 2984 9848 www.newlantaobus.com/
	New World First Ferry 2131 8181 www.nwff.com.hk/
	Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry 2815 6063 www.hkkf.com.hk/

Ends/Friday, August 27, 2004