'Weapons Charge Throws Spanner Into Drivers' Work'

The New World First Bus Staff Union slammed the police over the possession of weapon charge slapped on an arrested bus driver, while a union at another bus operator said their members have been told to call engineers to fix rear view mirrors to avoid carrying spanners.

This comes after police on Sunday arrested a bus driver in Mong Kok during a protest there and charged him with dangerous driving and also possession of weapon, after finding a spanner in his bag.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, the head of New World First Bus Staff Union, Lam Kam-piu, said officers should be aware that drivers carry spanners to adjust rear-view mirrors according to their needs.

A caller to the programme, who said he has been a bus driver of 20 years, echoed that view. He said they usually will have a spanner with them to adjust the mirrors on the different vehicles they drive.

He told RTHK that he'll now drive his vehicle to the terminus if there's anything wrong with his mirror.

The Staff Rights Association of KMB said they have advised drivers that when rear-view mirrors aren't in the right position, they should wait for engineers from the company to come and fix it.

It said they have also advised the drivers to maintains a safe speed and to make sure they keep an eight-second gap with other vehicles.

They have been told to allow passengers to board only when the vehicles are properly parked at the bus stop.

Some New World First Bus drivers were also going "at a safe speed” especially given the wet weather, to avoid getting accused by police of dangerous driving, the union said.

At a bus stop in Sau Mau Ming during morning rush hour, one commuter told RTHK that he felt his wait was 10 minutes longer than usual. But he added he supported the drivers.