Transport Dept Urges Bus Driver Restraint

The Transport Department has appealed to bus drivers to exercise restraint in their campaign for better working conditions, and has defended new guidelines for drivers.

In a statement, the department urged bus drivers to maintain proper bus services for the well-being of passengers.

Bus drivers unions have warned passengers to expect a chaotic Friday morning because of a planned work-to-rule, when up to 4,000 staff will join the industrial action in protest against long working hours and unfavourable pay calculations.

The drivers are not happy about new guidelines brought in following a deadly crash in Tai Po in February. They say they still face shifts of up to 14 hours if firms say there are special circumstances.

But the Transport Department said the new guidelines strike a balance between drivers' working conditions and the operational needs of bus companies.

It says bus companies have to arrange longer shift duties due to passenger demand for longer journeys during morning and evening peak periods.

It also said bus companies would need to recruit about an extra 1,600 bus drivers if all special shifts are cancelled. It said this is impossible in the short-term, given the sector’s manpower shortage of manpower.