Adequate public transport for first school day on Sept 1

     Public transport services would be adequate to meet upsurge in transport demand by students on the first school days, the Transport Department said today (August 29).

     A department spokesman said that as in past years, major transport operators had been reminded to have standby buses/ ferries to meet upsurge of student demand on the commencement of the new school term. Nanny van and school bus operators were reminded to liaise with parents and schools for conveyance of students to and from schools; pay attention to traffic conditions and drive carefully.

     On Thursday (September 1), the department will activate the Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) to closely monitor 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. Department staff will be deployed on site at various locations over the territory to observe and provide on site information to ETCC.

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

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

     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 had been requested to avoid commencement of 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 requested to monitor those road junctions or sections which are expected to suffer traffic congestion during school hours.

     In view of the possible congestion in school areas, motorists should avoid these areas if possible. They should also familiarise themselves with the routeings and avoid prolonged kerbside activities if they need to go to these areas," the spokesman said.

     In view of the possible congestion in school areas, motorists should avoid these areas if possible.

     Drivers of nanny vans and school buses have been reminded to avoid carrying excess passengers and leaving schoolchildren on vehicles unattended. Parents should agree well in advance with drivers of nanny vans or school buses the location of picking up/dropping off their children. No picking up/dropping off would be allowed in restricted zones.

     The department has advised people to pay attention to announcement of radio and TV stations for the latest transport and traffic news before leaving home. They can call 2804 2600 or 1823 for enquiry.

     For enquiry on bus and ferry schedules, the public may phone up the following hotlines or visit the websites of the major bus and ferry operators:

Operator                 Hotline      Website
--------                 -------      -------

New World First Bus  2136 8888   http://www.nwfb.com.hk/

CityBus              2873 0818   http://www.citybus.com.hk/

Kowloon Motor Bus/   2745 4466   http://www.kmb.com.hk/
Long Win Bus

New Lantao Bus       2984 9848   http://www.newlantaobus.com/

New World First Ferry 2131 8181  http://www.nwff.com.hk/

Hong Kong and         2815 6063  http://www.hkkf.com.hk/
Kowloon Ferry

Ends/Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Issued at HKT 19:01