The KMB Staff Union has called for a review of driver fatigue and a relaxation of bus cabin temperature limits after a serious double-decker crash on Tsing Kwai Highway injured more than 20 people on Monday.
The 39-year-old KMB bus captain was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after the bus collided with a highway maintenance vehicle.
Speaking on a radio program on Tuesday, union consultant Kwok Chi-shing said the apparent lack of deceleration suggested the accident may have been linked to extreme driver fatigue and poor alertness.
Kwok said strict energy-saving measures introduced by bus companies amid high fuel prices may have contributed to uncomfortable working conditions for drivers.
He said both KMB and Citybus issued internal guidelines in mid-March requiring drivers to adjust cabin temperatures to around 25 degrees Celsius, or even turn off the air conditioning and open windows during non-passenger trips.
He said the cooling system on buses blows air from the rear toward the front, meaning cool air may not always reach the driver’s seat if passengers open their individual vents.
With outdoor temperatures reaching around 32 to 33 degrees Celsius on Monday, and heat building up through the large front windscreen, Kwok estimated that the driver’s area could easily have reached 27 degrees.
He said driving a long-distance route such as Route 960 in a stuffy environment could affect breathing and induce severe drowsiness.
Kwok ruled out sun glare or missing traffic cones as likely causes of the crash, saying the accident happened at around 2pm on a straight stretch of highway with clear visibility.
He added that an overhead highway sign had already shown that the lane was closed, while the maintenance vehicle’s warning lights were operating.
Kwok said footage showed the bus did not slow down and appeared to accelerate shortly before the collision, indicating a serious lapse in the driver’s alertness.
Based on experience, he estimated that the bus captain may have been working a morning shift for nearly 10 hours by the time the accident occurred.
Asked why drivers did not use personal fans, Kwok said bus companies impose strict limits and often side with passenger complaints without hearing drivers’ explanations.
He said the incident was not isolated, noting that Hong Kong has recorded several serious accidents in which buses crashed without braking.
Kwok urged bus companies to lower cabin temperatures to 23 degrees Celsius in hot weather and conduct a comprehensive review of bus captains’ working conditions to prevent similar incidents.
