NETWORK 26 celebrates its first anniversary this month and the first franchise, route 12 A, marks its third year. Citybus' number 12 A made its first journey from Central to Macdonnell Road on this day in 1991. ''There were a few initial teething problems but, later, staff became accustomed to new routines,'' said Stuart Dobie, the company's assistant marketing and development manager. ''Problems with vehicles were remedied and reliability was developed.'' The bus operator's success with Network 26 and Route 12 A can be seen in the light of improvements that have been proposed. In its continuing effort to establish itself as the popular choice for road transport, the bulk of the Citybus fleet was used on the franchised division, Mr Dobie said. This most recent of the Citybus divisions began when some of the China Motor Bus (CMB) company routes were offered as franchises by the Government in 1991. ''Citybus was successful in securing some of them because of its proven track record and the services it proposed to provide,'' Mr Dobie said. It began operations on the routes it bought on September 1, 1991. Citybus hopes to press ahead with plans to expand or introduce new routes. A comprehensive programme for service improvements is in place. Citybus has evolved into a profitable venture and serves an average of 189,000 passengers daily. It has refined schedules and routes and improved staff skills.
