Why did CMB lose its bus franchise in 1998? /

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Student Projects

2022

Chiu, Chun Yin

Hong Kong : Education University of Hong Kong

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It is of essential importance for an urbanised city to acquire an extensive transportation network because of logistical purposes and efficient travelling hooks with productivity. Of the Four Asian Tigers in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong was best known for its flourishing economic status between 1970 and 2000. Meanwhile, the 'Pearl of the Orient' population growth was on par with economic diversification, from 3,959,0001 in 1970 to 6,311,0002 in 1996. In this hustle and bustle cosmopolitan city, citizens relied heavily on road transport to travel between Kowloon Peninsula, New Territories, and Hong Kong Island, especially when significant infrastructures like Cross Harbour Tunnel and Mass Transit Railway (MTR) were not established until the 1970s.There were two major franchised bus companies in colonial Hong Kong, namely China Motor Bus (CMB) and Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB). CMB had established its franchised bus kingdom in Hong Kong Island between 1933 and 1998, while it had accumulated numerous land properties in this densely-populated city. KMB chose Kowloon Peninsular and New Territories as its bases to extend its influence. By the time both companies had been enjoying the scale of economics and the protection from the Public Bus Services Ordinance, CMB, however, failed to extend its bus franchise in 1998. Amid all triggering factors of CMB's public bus service termination, public grievances seemed to be a remarkable reason for affecting government policies. In the meantime, although it is not difficult to observe that traffic congestion contributed to the downfall of CMB, there are limited discussions about the underlying relationships between public sentiments, traffic congestion, and the operational condition that CMB was facing.This thesis tries to analyse the reasons for the collapse of CMB's bus franchise, a former franchised bus company in Hong Kong and was later succeeded by CityBus (CTB) and New World First Bus (NWFB) in 1998, by studying a series of events which occurred during 1980 and 1998. In particular, the turning points of CMB's quality of management will be identified and illustrated.This thesis also argues that the root cause of CMB's lapse in 1998 was Paliburg's unsuccessful takeover attempt in 1981. Since then, CMB has become more conservative in bus operation, and its weaknesses were thoroughly revealed in a fatal crash in 1982. When the bus drivers' strike occurred in 1989, CMB was meant to be written off the list of public bus companies because the Hong Kong government no longer treated CMB as a reliable bus service provider. The reducing number of bus routes in 1993 and 1995 was the prelude to the end of CMB's service. Reformatory endeavours were made by the CMB's management board in the early 1990s but in vain. In 1998, CMB's bus routes were taken over by Citybus (CTB) and New World First Bus (NWFB). Together with British colonial Hong Kong, CMB became "the history before the handover of Hong Kong in 1997"

LG51.H43 hp BEd(Hist) 2022eb Chiucy

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/WhEqqZvG