No public apology over fatal Hong Kong bus crash, Citybus says, but operator willing to meet families
Apology is warranted ‘in person’, company says, as it tries to arrange meetings to discuss ‘consolation payment’
Hong Kong bus operator Citybus will not apologise publicly for a deadly crash in Sham Shui Po on Friday, but is willing to meet the families of victims in private to do so.
The government has vowed to review working guidelines for drivers employed by the city’s franchised bus companies in the wake of the tragedy, which left three dead and 31 injured when a Citybus double-decker mounted a pavement and slammed into an overhanging building canopy.
William Chung Chak-man, head of operations for New World First Bus and Citybus, which are owned by NWS Holdings, said the company was still trying to arrange a meeting with two of the three families to apologise and discuss a “consolation payment”.
Three dead and two critical after bus mounts pavement in one of Hong Kong’s busiest districts
“We’ve been requesting a meeting with the victims’ families and we’ve been able to schedule a meeting with one so far,” he said. “We think an apology is warranted in person. A face-to-face apology is more sincere.”
Chung declined to comment on the circumstances of the accident – which is being investigated by police – except to say that the bus had not been speeding at the time and the driver’s physical condition had been fine.
Although the driver had been working more than 13 hours a day for several consecutive days, overall his hours and rest times were within guidelines, Chung said. The average shift for employees was 10 hours and most drivers spent about eight on the road, he added.