The Transport Department today responded to media enquiries regarding the conversion of red minibus (RMB) routes into green minibus (GMB) routes operations.

It explained that to ensure the service quality of RMBs and achieve more effective monitoring, it has been the Governments established policy to encourage the conversion of RMBs to GMBs.

To align with this policy, the department pointed out that has been planning and developing new GMB route packages based on passenger demand and has been inviting applications from interested parties, including RMB operators, to run these routes through the annual Geen Minibus Operators Selection Exercise.

In response to requests from the public light bus trade, the department emphasised that it had studied converting some of the long-established RMB routes directly into GMB routes operations.

It noted that since February 2022, the Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly & Eligible Persons with Disabilities ($2 Scheme) has been extended to cover RMB routes. Currently, about 70 RMB routes have voluntarily participated in the scheme.

According to the requirements of the $2 Scheme, the operators of the relevant RMB routes are required to submit operational information to the department, including routings, fares and vehicle deployment, etc.

In compliance with the requirements of the $2 Scheme, the operating mode of these RMB routes is largely the same as that of GMB routes. This arrangement allows the department to grasp the specific route details, and facilitate the review on expediting the conversion of RMB into GMB operations.

To achieve more effective monitoring of public light bus services, the department, after review, intends to invite applications from RMB routes that have participated in the $2 Scheme and fulfilled the specific criteria for direct conversion to GMB route operations.

Taking into account the existing GMB operating mode and requirements, the preliminary conditions for the RMB routes to be invited to apply for the conversion include having at least five years of service, vehicles of the route only operating on that single route with whole day and daily service, as well as operating the relevant route by a single operator.

The department said it consulted the public light bus trades for their opinions in late May and received positive responses.

Apart from informing the GMB Operators Selection Board of the details and relevant requirements concerning the conversion, the department plans to issue invitations to the operators of the eligible RMB routes within July.