TRANSPORT administrators claim maverick bus operators are running illegal routes in Kowloon and the New Territories . . . but say there is little they can do to stop them.
Small operators are skirting transport laws to run buses on speedy, non-stop routes from Tuen Mun to urban Kowloon.
The Transport Department says the operators are using legal loopholes, while others rely on the lack of penalties, to whisk New Territories residents to work faster than the Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) services.
The Sunday Morning Post has found that up to 30 of these buses operate in the Tuen Mun district during the rush-hour periods. They attract passengers who say they are tired of the long queues and insufficient services provided by licensed buses. A Transport Department spokesman said it was difficult to control these operators because of the sheer numbers of buses involved.
'When we find out about a particular operation we usually send a warning letter informing the operator that he must stop,' the spokesman said. 'We will then send people out to check whether the operator has. If that fails, we may cancel his Passenger Service Licence. Unfortunately, that move does not preclude the operator having his partner, wife, or another family member apply for a new licence.' But Tuen Mun residents lauded the services and said the buses were a welcome addition to regular public transport. 'The advantage of taking these buses is that I can get a seat, so I don't have to stand for up to an hour and a half, which it sometimes takes to get to my office in Tsim Sha Tsui by KMB,' said insurance underwriter Ben Suen, from Marina Gardens.
Another regular, a woman who identified herself as Ms Fung, realised the buses might not have insurance, but was prepared to take the risk.
