A bus driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death after an 82-year-old passenger fell down the stairs of a double-decker in Yau Ma Tei yesterday.
The incident, the second such case in a month, prompted bus companies to remind passengers to hold handrails firmly while travelling.
The double-decker involved yesterday is one of more than 500 Kowloon Motor Bus vehicles fitted with straight stairs instead of traditional spiral staircases.
A spokeswoman said the double-deckers had been in service since 2003 and the straight staircase had been designed to improve safety.
The man who died yesterday, surnamed Yeung, was reportedly walking down from the upper deck of the bus as it pulled over at a bus stop in the Tsim Sha Tsui-bound lane of Nathan Road near the junction of Wing Sing Lane at 2.07pm.
The driver, 54, described by a KMB spokeswoman as experienced, passed a breath test. He joined KMB in 1998 and had been driving the route for several years. He was released on police bail of HK$5,000.
