[Hong Kong] Bus discussions / talks

• Acx1688

  6 Jun 11, 10:58

  	18 injured as 2 minibuses collide 06-06-2011   Eighteen passengers have been injured in a collision involving two minibuses near the toll gate of the Lion Rock Tunnel in Shatin. Most of those hurt suffered minor injuries.

• Acx1688

  7 Jul 11, 09:51

  MTR staff get pay rises of up to 6.8%

  07-07-2011

  Wage increases for railway workers. File photo. Workers at the MTR Corporation will receive performance-based pay rises ranging from 4.5 to 6.8 percent this year. The increases fall short of union demands for seven percent. Staff representatives have demanded that management improve its pay offer, saying they won't rule out industrial action unless they get more money. One staff representative said the current pay offer would not keep pace with rising inflation.

• Acx1688

  7 Jul 11, 09:51

  Taxi fares HK$2 higher from Sunday

  07-07-2011

  The taxi flagfall will go up by HK$2 from this Sunday, following approval by the Executive Council in May. Urban cabs will cost HK$20 for the first two kilometres, while New Territories taxis will charge HK$16-50. The flagfall for Lantau cabs will rise to HK$15. Subsequent charges will remain unchanged.

• Acx1688

  20 Jul 11, 15:56

  KMB seeks govt aid for bus operators

  20-07-2011

  Kowloon Motor Bus says the government should set up a special fund to buffer the impact of rising global fuel prices and inflation on bus fares. This came as the firm issued a profit warning - and said that 60 percent of its routes are loss-making. The company said that it may record a loss for the first half of the year. It blamed the fuel price surge, and opposition to its plans to cut under-used routes. KMB's managing director, Edmond Ho, said the creation of a fund should not be seen as a subsidy for the publicly listed company.

• Acx1688

  23 Jul 11, 09:38

  NY subway head chosen as MTRC boss

  23-07-2011

  The Mass Transit Railway Corporation has chosen the head of New York's subway system as its next chief executive. Jay Walder, 52, has been appointed on an initial 30-month contract at an annual salary of HK$7.2-million. He'll take over in January following the retirement of the current chief executive, C K Chow. The MTRC chairman, Raymond Chien, said Mr Walder is an experienced leader. "Jay brings more than 20 years of outstanding management experience in railway and public transport," said Mr Chien. "The MTR Board considers him to be a strong and capable manager to lead the company forward."

• sbst275

  23 Jul 11, 09:42

  KMB's problem

  Use SD, MP kpkb

  Re-organise routes also kpkb. Sv 70 was one classical story. Saw some headline, citing re-org/ rationalising bus rts seems like inevitable.

• Acx1688

  12 Aug 11, 12:11

  MTR earnings down 24 percent

  12-08-2011

  The MTR Corporation has posted a 24 percent fall in underlying profit for the first-half, to HK$4.4 billion. About HK$1.4 billion of this came from property development - sharply lower than a year earlier. The firm's property director, Thomas Ho, said this was due to differences in booking profit. The Corporation raised the interim dividend payment from 14 cents per share to 25 cents. But its outgoing Chief Executive Officer, C.K. Chow, played down hopes that the payout for the whole year would also rise. If paper gains from property revaluations are included, the MTR earned just over HK$8 billion - up 21 percent from a year earlie

• Acx1688

  16 Aug 11, 12:51

  Green group says air cons 'too low'

  16-08-2011

  A green group has urged the commercial sector and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to raise their air-conditioner temperatures. Green Sense made the call after it received many complaints about excessively low indoor temperatures. The group said setting temperatures too low not only wasted energy, but also affected people's health.

• Acx1688

  6 Sep 11, 10:12

  13% indecently assaulted on MTR - survey

  06-09-2011

  A survey by the DAB has found that more than 13 percent of commuters claim to have been indecently assaulted on MTR trains. A total of 655 people were inteviewed last month, with 77 women and 11 men saying they'd been molested on trains. But more than 90 percent of the women and 80 percent of the men did not report the incidents to the police -- partly because of embarrassment.

• Acx1688

  14 Sep 11, 13:03

  Arsonists attack bus depot

  14-09-2011

  Police are investigating an arson attack in Tsz Wan Shan, near Wong Tai Sin, which destroyed three double-decker buses. The incident happened some time after four o'clock on Tuesday morning at a bus terminus in Yuk Wah Street. Firefighters took more than an hour to put out the blaze, which led to the evacuation of dozens of nearby apartments. A security guard was taken to hospital, complaining of feeling unwell, after inhaling smoke. Meanwhile the KMB staff association has questioned night-time security at bus depots. It said it feared there was not enough manpower to ensure adequate inspections during the night after the bus company contracted out its security operations. However, a KMB spokeswoman, spokeswoman, Suzana Sin, insisted that security arrangements were adequate and said the company's outsourcing system had been in place for some time. Ms Sin also said that because the three destroyed buses were all serving the 3-D route, additional services had been provided as cover. She said KMB was closely co-operating with the police in their investigation. So far, no arrests have been made.

• Acx1688

  14 Sep 11, 13:04

  狂徒中秋�燒連環巴

  2011-09-14

  

  �泊巴士總站內的巴士�縱�，鄰車被波��陷�海。

   

  (綜�報�)(星島日報報�)中秋月圓夜，竟變狂徒縱�夜�慈雲山毓�街巴士總站發生�警，剛全綫轉為冷氣巴�五天的�巴3D綫，�為肆�目標，其中四輛�焚毀，�場一度烈燄濃煙密布，逾百居民摸黑�散，黃大仙警��案組正接手調查狂徒動機，但昨晚一��年在交�網中自稱有份用�酒點�燒巴士，�時引來網民群起�討。

  慈雲山毓�街巴士總站昨凌晨發生�燒連環巴士案，共四輛�巴被焚毀，鄰近大廈一�女�安因�入濃煙���院。有目擊者�露，事發後曾�到�少年的�囂�，�排除與案有關。至昨晚，有姓劉的�年在社交網站（facebook）中張貼一張巴士陷�海的圖片，自稱曾�與這次燒巴士，「我用�酒燒的�，一�姓�的女網�竟附和，指燒近其學校一點，就�用上課。

  網民將該相片�言論上載高登討論�，短短兩個多�時，已引來三百多�網民回應，�少人�討時下�少年無法無天，籲報警將放�狂徒繩之於法。

  被焚毀巴士是富豪超級奧林匹克型冷氣雙層巴士，車長�二米，�輛值逾百�，起�巴士有�年車齡，其他三輛分別�一至�四年，全部�泊在毓�街巴士總站。

  警方消�稱，昨凌晨四時二�五分，一輛巴士車頭首先起�，�屑燃��邊巴士，�勢迅速蔓延，令兩車�陷�海，冒出烈燄濃煙波��兩輛巴士；濃煙籠罩毓�街多幢大廈，居民驚醒摸黑逃生。

  消防員趕至開喉�救，並登樓�助逾一百�居民逃�樓，到毓�里公園暫�，六�八歲姓�大廈女�安員�入濃煙��，被�院治�。

  消防員�救近��時將�撲熄，起�巴士�燒剩下層車架，�邊巴士亦嚴�焚毀，�兩輛巴士被�黑，部分巴士站設施亦燒毀。消防員調查，發�起�巴士車頭乘客登車處有易燃液氣味，�為有�疑。黃大仙警��案組接手，�喚政府化驗師到場�助�證，檢走焚毀碎片化驗。

  據目擊街�稱，起��有�少年在場�囂，起�後亦見四�五�少年乘的士離開，��，附近毓�里曾發生打鬥事件，警方�正調查該批�少年是與縱�案，抑或打鬥案有關。�時，探員�城巴索��場閉路電視錄影資料，惜未有錄影，未能�開縱�狂真�目。

  巴士被狂徒縱�，臨牀心�學家�寶能表示，�從有�圖�無動機犯案兩個心�層�分�，�者如�滿巴士上調車費，或�滿巴士噪音擾人清夢，�或曾與車長爭執，導致犯事報復。

  �一種無動機犯案，狂徒全憑欲望��動行事，令人防��防。

  執業大律師陸�雄表示，涉案者�被控刑事毀壞罪，最高刑罰為監�三年；�使事件無任何人死亡，亦�被控較嚴�的縱�罪，最高刑罰為終身監�。

   

• Acx1688

  14 Sep 11, 13:05

  Translated using GOOGLE:
  
  (Roundup) (Sing Tao Daily reports) Mid-Autumn moon night, actually become fanatics set fire to the night! Yuk Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan Bus Terminus, fire, air-conditioned bus was just across the board to five days of KMB 3D line, a raging goal, four of which were burnt, the scene was flames smoke clouds, over 100 residents to evacuate the dark, Wong Tai Sin District Crime Squad is investigating fanatics took over the motive, but last night a young man claiming to have taken friends network with Firewater set fire to buses, immediately attracting Internet users rushed to denounce.
  
  Yuk Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan Bus Terminus serial bus fire occurred yesterday morning the case, a total of four KMB were burned near the building by a female security hospital for smoke inhalation. Witnesses said the incident had heard the clamor of young people, do not rule out with the case. To last night, there are young people surnamed Liu at the social networking sites (facebook) posted a bus trapped in the flames of the pictures, claiming to have participated in the burning bus, "I burn with Firewater", a name actually echoed Xie's Nvwang , refers to the burning point near their school, they do not have class.
  
  Users upload the photos and comments Gordon forum, just two hours, has attracted more than 300 users responded, many young people today who denounce the lawless, and urged the police to fire fanatics to justice.
  
  Were burned buses are super-rich Olympic-type air-conditioned double-decker bus, the length 12 meters each value of more than one million, the bus caught fire ten years age of the vehicle, the other three were eleven to ten years, all the buses parked at Yuk Wah Street terminus.
  
  Police sources said yesterday four twenty-five, the front of the first bus on fire, debris burning fire next to the bus, the fire spread rapidly, so that two vehicles from the same trap flames, smoke emitting flames spread to the other two buses; concentration Yuk Wah Street, smoke enveloped a number of buildings, residents awoke to escape the dark.
  
  Firemen rushed to the open jets, and ascends to assist over 100 residents fled off the floor, to take shelter in the park Yuk Wah Crescent, 68 female security guard surnamed Liang Building, smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital.
  
  Firemen fighting the blaze half an hour to put out the fire, the fire burned only the remaining layer of the bus frame, next to the bus also was severely damaged, and the other two buses were blackened, part of the bus stop facilities also burned. Fire investigation and found that the fire front passenger boarding the bus at the smell of a flammable liquid that suspicious. Wong Tai Sin District Crime Squad took over, call the Government Chemist to the scene evidence collection, laboratory seized burned debris.
  
  Neighborhood according to witnesses, said the presence of fire in front of young people shouting, after the fire also see four or five young people took a taxi to leave, but the fighting took place near Yuk Wah Crescent incident, Police are investigating a batch of young people with arson case, or fight the case. Meanwhile, the officers obtained from on-site CCTV recording to the CTB information, but unfortunately no video, can not reveal the true face of arson mad.
  
  Bus arson by fanatics, clinical psychologist, said Li Bao can be no motive to commit crimes from the intention and the two psychological analysis, such as dissatisfaction with the former bus fare increase, or dissatisfaction with bus noise disturbing their sleep, or has worked with drivers dispute, leading culprits retaliation.
  
  Another no motive to commit crimes, fanatics depends on the desire and impulse to act, it is hard to detect.
  
  Bar Lu Weixiong said, those involved can be charged with criminal damage, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years; no deaths even if the event can also be charged with more serious crime of arson, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
  
  

• Acx1688

  15 Sep 11, 12:54

  Teenagers arrested over bus blaze

  15-09-2011

  The police have arrested five young teenagers in connection with a suspected arson attack early yesterday which burnt out three double-decker KMB buses and damaged a fourth in Tsz Wan Shan, near Wong Tai Sin. The four boys and a girl are aged between 13 and 14. It took firemen more than an hour to put out the blaze, at a bus terminus in Yuk Wah Street. A number of residents living nearby had be moved out of their apartments because of thick smoke.

• Acx1688

  27 Sep 11, 15:40

  HK$2.5bn travel subsidy plan proposed

  27-09-2011

  Cecil Wong reports

  Call for transport subsidies. File photo. An influential thinktank has proposed a HK$2.5 billion transport subsidy scheme for long-distance travellers and the elderly. The Bauhinia Foundation says those who take frequent long journeys should be subsidised up to HK$300 a month, while the elderly should be given up to HK$200 to take public transport. It says it will forward the proposal to the Chief Executive as part of its submission for his October policy address.

• Bus Stopping

  27 Sep 11, 20:16

  Originally posted by Acx1688:

  HK$2.5bn travel subsidy plan proposed <!-- headline-->

  27-09-2011

  Cecil Wong reports Call for transport subsidies. File photo. <!-- content -->An influential thinktank has proposed a HK$2.5 billion transport subsidy scheme for long-distance travellers and the elderly. The Bauhinia Foundation says those who take frequent long journeys should be subsidised up to HK$300 a month, while the elderly should be given up to HK$200 to take public transport. It says it will forward the proposal to the Chief Executive as part of its submission for his October policy address. <!-- content end -->

  Wow. Thats some even more heavy subsidising for elderly which i feel is a little unrealistic for a proposal.

  Did you know: 

  Senior citizens above 65 in Hong Kong are entitled to HKD$2 (about 35cents here) fares on wednesdays(MTR), saturdays(MTR), sundays(most routes on KMB,CTB,NWFB) and public holidays(all above)?

  For the rest of the week, they pay half the fare that adult does.

  On top of that, if they are not rushing for time, the star ferry between kowloon and hk island is also complementary daily.