Intolerable bus journey
As a regular commuter of KMB through the Tate's Cairn Tunnel, I have been patient for long enough and am now writing to ask the bus company to use air-conditioned buses when going through it.
This should be done for the comfort of passengers. Air-conditioned buses are not a luxury but a necessity, especially during the summer season and during peak hours when travelling from Ma On Shan to Kowloon.
It is absolutely intolerable going through the tunnel (which takes about seven minutes) during peak hours when the bus is crowded and hot. Is this what KMB calls service? Although there are air-conditioned buses the ratio is about one in every hour or more.
Please consider middle class commuters who stay out in Ma On Shan and whose only means of public transport is the public bus. I am sure that many passengers would not mind paying the extra few dollars for that tiny bit of comfort, as it makes going to work and returning home much more comfortable.
Could I also suggest that if KMB is unable to provide comfortable air-conditioned buses on this route then the Transport Department should seriously consider allowing other bus companies to run the No 85M service, as KMB seems to be monopolising the route, leaving passengers with no choice but to squeeze into their old non-air-conditioned buses.
May I also suggest that the company looks into the load of the buses especially out of Heng On Estate in the morning peak hours during school days where the bus captains are allowing passengers to board even when the bus is already full to the yellow line near the driver's seat.
Often the driver has to keep asking passengers to move out of the way so that he can see the left side mirror. I hope that the Transport Department and the management of KMB will look into this situation.
S.M. THONG New Territories
