New route welcomed

I REFER to the letter headlined, ''Citybus circular route has gone steadily downhill'' (South China Morning Post, August 1) which had regard to bus dwell time at Admiralty on route 12A (Central-MacDonnell Road).

The recent re-routeing of this Mid-Levels route has been generally well received by passengers.

Ridership is up and service reliability is at an unprecedented high with over 100 per cent of scheduled journeys consistently being achieved on a daily basis.

That said, the fact that there is no suitable terminus in the Central area had led us to introduce an ''en route'' control point at Admiralty.

It is thus possible that your correspondent may well have experienced a pause in his journey, particularly in the shadow-peak period when the degree of traffic congestion is at its least predictable. In order to provide the best service for customers, the Company aims to reduce any such delays to an absolute minimum and indeed to eliminate them wherever possible.

In this respect, standing instructions require that drivers proceed at a steady pace during quieter periods and we certainly do not tolerate any ''racing''.

The selective imposition of compulsory bus-stops is also being considered as a means of further improving service quality. Through your column, may I take the opportunity to offer your correspondent our sincere apologies for any distress or inconvenience caused.

MARK SAVELLI Divisional Manager (South) Citybus Limited