New 'black Boxes' To Warn Speeding Bus Drivers

The managing director of New World First Bus and City Bus, Samuel Cheng, said on Tuesday that speed limiters and more sophisticated "black boxes" will be installed on the operators' vehicles this year to improve safety.

Cheng told an independent review committee, set up following a deadly crash in Tai Po in February, that newly recruited drivers could also be asked to undergo psychological assessments in the future.

The bus firms are also providing customer service training and emotional intelligence classes for part-time drivers, Cheng said.

But he rejected the idea of installing speed indicators on buses to let passengers know how fast they are travelling, saying this could lead to confrontations between passengers and drivers.

He said the new "black boxes" would not only monitor the drivers' actions but would also warn them if they were speeding, adding that this is preferable to alerting passengers to the issue.

Media reports said the KMB driver involved in February's crash, which left 19 people dead, had been arguing with passengers shortly before the bus toppled over at a bend on Tai Po Road, Tai Po Kau. The driver was later charged with dangerous driving causing death.