What Hong Kong bus drivers need is better work conditions

I am writing in response to the article, “KMB calls on Hong Kong government to help pay for anti-drowsy system, other safety upgrades for buses” (May 7).

Franchised bus operators in Hong Kong have taken action to improve safeguards following several serious accidents, including involving double-deckers in Sham Shui Po last September and then in Tai Po on February 10, the city’s deadliest in nearly 15 years.

Issues such as the long shifts of bus drivers, their temperament and the need for speed limits were raised in the wake of those tragedies. Against this backdrop, KMB has called on the government to subsidise a raft of technological initiatives.

It is great to have hi-tech systems in place to ensure driving quality, and this can definitely improve road safety. Technological safeguards listed by KMB in its submission to the Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong’s Franchised Bus Service, appointed in March following the tragedy in Tai Po, include electronic stability programmes to reduce the risk of skidding and rollovers, and speed-limiting devices, as well as an anti-drowsiness system to detect if drivers are fully alert. New World First Bus and Citybus are also considering this measure.