The following is issued on behalf of the Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong's Franchised Bus Service:
The Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong's Franchised Bus Service is now inviting closing written submissions from interested parties and members of the public on recommendations that the Committee ought to make or not make to the Chief Executive on safety-related measures, with a view to maintaining a safe and reliable franchised bus service in Hong Kong.
The Committee was set up following the fatal incident on Tai Po Road on February 10, 2018, and in light of other recent serious incidents involving franchised bus services, to conduct a comprehensive review of the operation and monitoring of franchised buses and to make recommendations to the Chief Executive.
Since the commencement of its work in March 2018, the Committee has invited and received from specified interested parties and members of the public written submissions on matters pertaining to the safety of franchised bus services. The Committee has also held, as of today, hearings over 20 days to receive oral evidence from selected interested parties including the Transport and Housing Bureau, the Transport Department, the Hong Kong Police Force, franchised bus operators, trade unions representing bus captains, District Councils, a manufacturer of black boxes installed on franchised buses, a community organisation on road safety, current and former employees of a franchised bus company, and two experts appointed by the Committee to give expert opinions in relation to the public bus regimes in London and Melbourne.
The Secretariat to the Committee has prepared a set of document bundles containing the written submissions identified for use at the hearings, which has been made available at www.irc-bus.gov.hk/eng/bundles.html. Transcripts of the hearings held by the Committee are also available at the website of the Committee, at www.irc-bus.gov.hk/eng/transcripts.html.
The process of receiving written submissions and oral evidence is almost complete and it is anticipated that the receipt of oral evidence will conclude with the evidence of the representatives of the Transport Department on October 16, 2018. The Committee is now inviting specified interested parties and members of the public to make closing written submissions on recommendations that the Committee ought to make or not make to the Chief Executive on safety-related measures with a view to maintaining a safe and reliable franchised bus service in Hong Kong, on or before November 7, 2018.
Written submissions, which should be no more than 5 000 words (or 6 000 characters in Chinese) in length overall, may be provided in the following ways:
By post: Secretariat to the Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong's Franchised Bus Service, 21/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong (with the envelope specifying that the written submission is enclosed);
By fax: 3104 0254 (with the first page specifying that the written submission is enclosed); or
By email: secretariat@irc-bus.gov.hk (with the email heading specifying that the written submission is enclosed).
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