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CTB A631 98

Route 98 as one of the routes under Network 26

Network 26 is the name of 28 bus routes that Citybus took over from China Motor Bus (CMB) on 1 September 1993 and used to package and produce the "Network 26 新里程" logo to promote and advertise to the public.

The Government has all along told the public that the total number of routes that changed hands was 26 because Routes 6/6A and 72/72B were regarded as the same group of routes in the calculation. Therefore, the total number of routes taken over by Citybus should be 28, including 18 routes in the Southern District, 5 routes in the Central and Western District, 3 routes in the Wan Chai District, and 2 cross-harbour routes jointly operated with Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB).

Background[]

Between 1933 and September 1991, CMB was the only company operating franchised bus services on Hong Kong Island. In the 1980s, CMB's service standard began to decline, with many routes losing trips or even reducing frequency for no apparent reason, and the fleet was generally old, with many having been in service for over 20 years. 1985 saw the opening of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Island Line, and CMB's management continued to turn a blind eye to the competition from such an emerging mode of transport, leading to a gradual loss of passengers.

At the end of 1989, CMB's negotiation with its employers over the pension issue broke down, and the trade union went on strike on 29-30 November, paralysing the traffic on Hong Kong Island and making the Southern District, which was not served by the MTR, a hard-hit area. With external bus services completely suspended, residents had to rely on public light buses for travelling to and from their homes, but many minibus drivers ‘took advantage of the situation’ and raised fares to an unreasonable level, and many residents chose to go out on foot. Citybus, which was emerging at the time, operated temporary non-franchised bus routes to and from Ap Lei Chau to meet the urgent needs. After the incident, the Government lost confidence in CMB and decided to overhaul the bus services on Hong Kong Island.

In 1990, Citybus applied for permission to operate three resident bus routes to and from housing estates in the Southern District, namely 37R, 90R and 97R, which were very popular right from the start, and in early 1991, the Governor in Council considered that the licensing methodology for franchised bus routes should be changed to allow for competitive bidding by the same operators, with the aim of improving service quality, enhancing efficiency and implementing innovations through healthy competition [1]; Citybus has also increased its investment in future development programmes from $200 million to $400 million [2]. In this connection, the Government announced on 19 April that it would invite tenders for Route 12A, which was cancelled by CMB a year ago due to poor patronage, to serve as a pilot scheme to improve bus services on Hong Kong Island [3]. Citybus also tendered for this route and won the right to operate it, becoming the fourth franchised bus company in Hong Kong. Route 12A was re-launched on 11 September, becoming the first non-cross-harbour franchised bus route on Hong Kong Island not operated by CMB after the implementation of the District Franchise in 1933; Citybus immediately deployed its new type of air-conditioned double-decker buses to operate the route, as opposed to CMB, which only had a small number of air-conditioned buses in service and CMB, which had only a small number of air-conditioned buses in service. At that time, the air-conditioning of Hong Kong's bus fleet had just begun and only a small number of air-conditioned buses were in service, so Citybus's move undoubtedly brought a breakthrough to Hong Kong's public bus services.

On the other hand, after the general strike in 1989, CMB went on several strikes again, paralysing the traffic on Hong Kong Island and arousing strong public discontent; coupled with the persistently poor quality of CMB's service, it sowed the seeds of its being stripped of its franchise.

Process[]

In the face of the above situation, the Southern District Council held a special meeting on 29 November 1989, at which Councillor Hung Tin-lee expressed the view that CMB could not be the sole operator of buses on Hong Kong Island, and that a number of bus companies should operate buses on Hong Kong Island instead; the Chief Transport Officer of the Transport Department subsequently indicated that the Department would consider the relevant proposal. [4]

In a written reply to a Member's question at the Legislative Council meeting on 6 December and in a media interview after the meeting, the Secretary for Transport, Mr Michael Leung, said that CMB had been asked to make minimum improvements to its management system within a specified period of time and to set out a timetable for doing so. If the expected results and requirements could not be achieved after one year, the Government would have to seriously consider studying the cancellation of CMB's franchised routes one by one, or even gradually opening up bus services on Hong Kong Island to other bus companies, so that they could take over from CMB in the operation of the bus services and provide the public with more choices of transport services, thereby improving services and increasing competition [5][6][7][8][9]. However, Leung claimed that if CMB's bus services were to be operated by other bus companies, profitability and margins would definitely be affected and fare adjustments might be necessary [6][10]; and continued that some bus routes could be opened up because under the then Public Bus Services Ordinance, franchises were granted to individual bus routes, not to a particular district, and thus the Government could grant certain specific CMB routes to other operators [8][10]. Leung also said that technically the Government could have approved more than one bus company to provide services within the area, but it had not been implemented, however, after the relevant incident, it was reflected in the availability of more choices of transport services [11]. It was also said that this would not be inconsistent with CMB's franchise because the then existing franchise was calculated on a route-by-route basis and could be cancelled on a route-by-route basis, while it was also said that its franchise could be cancelled on the grounds of unsatisfactory service. [12][13]

Ngan Shing-kwan, then Chairman of the Board of Directors of CMB, later refuted to the media that the issue of CMB's franchise was under the supervision of its directors and there was no need for the public to worry about it; he also said that the move had nothing to do with him and it was a matter for the Government. Ngan also claimed that the Government would not make any changes hastily. [14][15]

In February 1990, the Central and Western District Development Research Centre, Chan Choi Hei and Hung Wing Tat District Councillors' Office jointly conducted a “Survey on CMB's Strike and Fare Increase”, in which 42 District Councillors from 4 districts on Hong Kong Island were interviewed by telephone to find out their views on CMB. Among the results, 8% of the respondents indicated that they were in favour of terminating CMB's franchise, while 57% were dissatisfied with CMB's service level. Therefore, Chan and Hiong urged the Government to treat public transport companies equally, demanded that franchised routes be partially cancelled and competition be introduced, and that CMB should be allowed to cancel its cost-incurring routes as soon as possible, and that these routes should be replaced with those operated by other bus companies which had a better operating performance and were more flexible. [16][17][18][19][20]

Subsequently, a Southern District Council member, together with 30 representatives of Southern District residents, went to the Government House on 1 April 1991 to protest against CMB's fare increase, and at the same time to request the Government to open up CMB routes for tender by other bus companies, so as to improve the bus services to the best possible standard through healthy competition. [21][22][23]

Theft of coin boxes as trigger[]

Suggestions to introduce competition[]

Government to plan putting bus routes for competitive bidding[]

Reduction of CMB routes[]

Citybus awarded new franchise[]

Overview[]

Operations[]

Promotions[]

The handover[]

Routes operated[]

Concluding remarks[]

The main article of this section is 1995 Extension of CMB Franchise.

Gallery[]

Related articles[]

Notes and References[]

  1. Public Bus Services Ordinance (p. 2050), The Official Record of Proceedings of the Legislative Counci, 10 July 1991.
  2. "取得線路高使用率 巴士經營必有賺 徐展堂認爲風險較低" (Obtaining routes with high utilisation leads to profitable bus operations: Tsui Chin Tong believes the risk relatively low), Sing Pao, 30 September 1992.
  3. G.N. 1370: Public Bus Services Ordinance (Cap. 230): Tendering of Franchises for the Operation of Bus Services to and from Macdonnell Road and Central, Hong Kong Government Gazette, Vol. 133, No. 16, 19 April 1991
  4. "普通小巴及的士均有濫收車資 南區議會批評應變措施不足" (overcharging on public light buses and taxis: Southern District Council crticises the lack of contingency measures), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 30 November 1989.
  5. Hong Kong Government, "政府要求中巴改良管理制度" (Government demands improvement of management system of China Motor Bus) [News Bulletin], 6 December 1989.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "政府限中巴一年內改善現行管理制度 否則放寬港島區公共巴士經營" (Gov't imposed one-year deadline on CMB to improve management system or relax the operation of public buses on HK Island), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 7 December 1989.
  7. "中巴一年內不改善 南區專利綫將喪失" (CMB to lose Southern District franchised routes if no improvements within a year), Sing Tao Daily, 7 December 1989.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Shape up or else, Leung warns CMB", Hong Kong Standard, 7 December 1989.
  9. "港府命中巴訂具體管理計劃 一年內無改善將開放專利權" (Gov't demands CMB to set up management plan or open its franchise for tendering if no improvement within a year), HKET, 7 December 1989.
  10. 10.0 10.1 "港府要求中巴檢討管理制度 聲言考慮開放巴士線營辦權" (Gov't demands CMB to review its management system, vows to consider placing bus routes on tender), Hong Kong Economic Journal, 7 December 1989.
  11. "中巴一年後不改善 專利巴士逐條取消" (CMB's franchised bus routes to be cancelled one by one if no improvements within a year), Sing Pao, 7 December 1989.
  12. "港府決定致函中巴 限期一年改善管理 考慮把港島部分巴士轉交其他公司開辦" (Gov't orders CMB to improve management within a year, considering to hand over some HKI routes to other companies), Wen Wei Po, 7 December 1989.
  13. "中巴一年內不改善管理 港府將逐步取消專利權" (Gov't to gradually strip away CMB franchise if no management improvements within a year), Ming Pao, 7 December 1989.
  14. "專利權危機 顏成坤無言" (Ngan Shing-kwan speechless on CMB franchise crisis), Wen Wei Po, 7 December 1989.
  15. "顏成坤談專利權動搖事 這個決定「唔關我事」 相信港府不會貿然改動" (Ngan Shing-kwan speaks on possible change in CMB franchise: Decision "not to me", believes that Gov't won't hastily change it), Ming Pao, 7 December 1989.
  16. "港島廿多名區議員 要求否決中巴加價 港府處理罷駛應變措施受讚賞" (20 HKI District Councillors demand a veto to CMB fare increase: Gov't praised for contingency measures during CMB strike), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 15 February 1990.
  17. "電話調查對中巴加價意見 港島四十二名區議員 九成盼加強監管中巴 八成半促設運輸公營事業消費會" (Telephone survey on CMB fare increase: 90% of 42 HKI District Councillors demand stronger monitoring on CMB, 80% demand establishment of Transport and Public Utilities Consumption Association), Ta Kung Pao, 15 February 1990.
  18. "指中巴因退休金加價不合理 區員促撤銷利潤管制 設消費者協會作監管" (DCs demand abolition of proft control for unacceptable CMB fare increase due to pensions), Sing Pao, 15 February 1990.
  19. "中巴加價支退休金 港區議員半數反對 議員並稱可由市民參與監管" (CMB to raise fares due to pensions, objected by half of HKI DCs, DCs claim citizens can participate in monitoring), Wen Wei Po, 15 February 1990.
  20. "半數受訪區議員認為中巴加價理由不合理 逾九成贊成交諮會應加强監管中巴運作" (Half of interviewed DCs claim that reason for CMB fare increase unnecessary, over 90% agreed that TAC should step up monitoring on CMB), Ming Pao, 15 February 1990.
  21. "南區議員請願不滿南區巴士加價過高 要求港府監管中巴服務" (Southern DCs petitioned over unreasonably high fare spikes in Southern District, demands more monitoring over CMB services), Wah Kiu Yat Po, 2 April 1991.
  22. "南區居民港督府請願 昨抗議中巴大幅加費 要求當局將南區與非南區巴士票價拉平" (Southern District residents petitioned outside Governor's Office over CMB fare increase, demands fare levelling of Southern and non-Southern routes), Ta Kung Pao, 2 April 1991.
  23. "南區逾萬簽名送督轅" (Over million signatures from Southern residents to the Governor), Sing Tao Daily, 2 April 1991.

External links[]

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