AN appraisal of whether Citybus could safely cope with more work should be done before the company is given extra routes, the Democratic Party said yesterday.
Party spokesman Kam Nai-wai warned the Government against giving more routes to Citybus when China Motor Bus' franchise expires this year, saying the number of complaints lodged showed Citybus drivers were not up to standard.
Of the complaints about Citybus lodged with the Transport Advisory Committee, about 29 per cent were related to drivers' conduct and performance. Thirty per cent of complaints against China Motor Bus were about drivers.
Mr Kam said the party was concerned about the rapid expansion of Citybus because complaints about speeding by the firm's drivers had been regularly received from Central and Western District residents.
'The Government should make sure there is more competition to maintain service quality,' he said.
'An overall evaluation on the company's operation including training, deployment of drivers and maintenance of vehicles is needed.' Citybus began its service in 1993 with 26 routes, most of them on Hong Kong Island.