BUS IN FATAL CRASH DID NOT HAVE RIGHT LICENCE

As transport officials launch investigation, company that runs work service to airport rejects concerns and says everyone was covered by insurance

The bus that crashed near the airport on Friday killing five was not licensed to take people to work, prompting an investigation by transport officials.

Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings dismissed the concerns, saying what was most important was that it had third-party insurance.

The coach slammed into a taxi that had broken down on the Cheung Tsing Highway in Tsing Yi at about 5am on Friday. Three coach passengers were thrown out by the impact and died at the scene. The driver, who was also tossed out, remained in a critical condition yesterday.

The taxi driver and another coach passenger were certified dead upon arrival at hospitals.

A Transport Department statement said the coach had three licences, meaning it could pick up and drop off passengers from hotels and schools and be used for contract hire services.

But it said Kwoon Chung did not have the specific licence to pick up and drop off workers. The 36 passengers on the ill-fated trip worked for five companies providing services at Hong Kong International Airport, including 20 from Cathay Pacific Group.

The department did not make clear if the lack of a licence meant the firm had broken any rules.

“The department will conduct an investigation looking at the conditions of service operation of the business operator and the nature of the services provided at the time of the incident,” it said.

The chairman of the bus company, Matthew Wong Leung-pak, said it was still trying to find out the exact licence requirements of the coach involved, but according to his understanding the licence that allowed contract hire services could still be valid under these circumstances.

“I understand that the public is concerned about who is responsible, but what is also important is that all our buses are covered by third-party insurance,” Wong said.

“Passengers need not worry. We will claim for the compensation that they deserve according to the insurance policy. That is our responsibility.”

He said the company would review whether it had neglected to obtain the licence and check if its entire fleet of more than 1,000 buses was covered by all four licences to avoid a similar situation in the future.

A government spokesman said yesterday that five of the injured – four men and a woman – were still in hospital.

They included driver, Fok Chisum, 62, who was still in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung. The four others were in a stable condition.

The department issues passenger licences to regulate the number of vehicles and avoid congestion in certain areas.

Transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick Chi-ming said nonfranchised buses often had several licences so they could make numerous trips a day aimed at different groups. He said if Kwoon Chung had broken the rules it could get a warning for a first offence but face a suspension if it had done the same thing before.

He said it was possible that a bus could be used for a job it was not licensed for, when companies had to swap vehicles on a route.

“The licences are tied to a specific car plate, but if one of the buses breaks down the company has to immediately swap in its spare buses,” Yick said.

He urged the government to be less stringent when issuing permits.

Insurance sector lawmaker Chan Kin-por said passengers would be eligible for employee compensation if the vehicles were provided by the employer. He said that insurance claims were a separate issue from whether the bus complied with licensing rules.