I refer to Jill Taylor's letter headlined 'Transport officials ignoring obvious solution' (South China Morning Post, February 26) concerning television services on franchised buses in Hong Kong.
We have raised with bus operators the suggestion of providing a radio frequency system for audio-visual broadcasting on board buses. However, such a system would require allocation of a dedicated radio frequency or frequencies to on-bus TV service providers, which is not feasible under Hong Kong's present licensing system.
It is worth noting that in the case of Singapore, where some buses are provided with the necessary radio frequency, sound still emits through the on-bus speakers and headsets are used mainly to provide better quality sound.
We understand the concerns of those passengers who do not like the TV services. Noting that such a service is welcomed by more passengers but disliked by some, we have been working with the bus companies to provide an arrangement for TV broadcasting that is generally as agreeable as possible.
The bus companies are now reconfiguring the quiet zone to the back portion of the lower deck, leaving only one speaker to be activated for the audio of the TV system.
We shall review with the bus companies the effectiveness of this arrangement, taking into account passenger feedback and shall consider further improvement measures as appropriate.
