NINETY-SIX buses operated by 250 newly trained drivers have been allocated to the 14 routes which Citybus takes over from China Motor Bus (CMB) tomorrow.
The drivers were recruited, rather than poached from CMB and other companies, and had never driven a bus before undertaking a month's training.
Lyndon Rees, managing director of Citybus, said: 'We offered CMB drivers jobs but they did not want to come.' Citybus already carried 80 million passengers a year, but with the additional routes bringing the total number of franchised trips to 54, the firm hoped to increase patronage by 25 million. An expected increase in revenue of $8 million a month would help recover the company's $200 million investment, he said.
Buses on 12 of the 14 routes would be air-conditioned, compared with only three when operated by CMB. Buses on No 37 and No 85 routes would not be air-conditioned, although new vehicles were on order.
