I often wonder how many incidents go unreported

Me Jamie, English and 52 years living in Hong Kong and I know the know the place - I personally completed 2,324 Private Tours (6,000+ guests) from 2011 - 2020 and was considered one of the finest Private Tour Guides in Asia.

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HK Double Decker Buses - Falling Down on a Bus Incidents

I often wonder how many incidents go unreported

**The hidden dangers of travelling on Hong Kong Public Transport….. the Double Decker Bus**

I have lived in Hong Kong for over 50 years and not a day goes by where the media publishes these stories of incidents on our buses, they report any incident that is newsworthy but rarely follow up on a more in depth investigation of accidents or incidents on our Double Decker Public Transport Buses.

I would say that our Public Transport System is world class with huge fleets of shiny new Double Decker Buses clogging the streets, it seems you never have to wait for more than a few minutes for a bus, it is amazing and me being a senior, my fare no matter what the distance is capped at HK$2 or US$0.15, it certainly encourages you to go out and about.

I should stress that the average double decker bus is designed with safety in mind, they are spacious, lots of seats, fully air conditioned and grab handles and handrails everywhere particularly on the low deck, you are not allowed to stand on the upper deck.

This is a typical news report in Dim Sum Daily a Hong Kong online periodical.

I am not surprised at this new report… I can relate to it. I have mobility issues caused by some illnesses I have and for the past few years I have had a problem with balance when it comes to walking and a problem with steps and depth perception, I do not need a walking stick but I have to be always aware of losing my balance. I have had a couple of nasty falls (not on a bus) and I have to be particularly careful on double decker buses.

So what is the problem you may ask.

This is my KMB Bus, quite new, the problem area is exactly what you see in the image, note the amount of handrails and grab bars, they know this is a problem for passengers and not just ones my age! it is so easy to lose your balance

The problem is the design of the new buses in particular, after you pay the fare there is quite a distance between the front door so to speak and the first seats and the overwhelming majority of drivers do not wait for the passengers to be seated and slam the foot down on the accelerator as they move off and naturally if you are not holding a handrail or grab bar you go flying, I have had a couple of close calls recently.

The Bus Operators must know that there is potential for people falling as the bus moves off simply because of the number of handrails and grab bars on the lower deck but I doubt they instruct the drivers to wait for people to be seated before moving off, this would cause a problem with the timetable.

On the routes I frequent, I have noticed quite a few drivers who do wait for people to sit down (assuming there is a seat available) but the potential for losing your balance and falling is always there and I have noticed many times, people almost falling when climbing the stairs to the upper deck as the bus moves off.

I am not sure what if anything can be done, I assume the bus companies rely on each person to be aware of threats to their personal wellbeing when travelling on a bus, I have been travelling on buses daily since 1972 and I make sure I hold the handrails when getting on and off the bus but sometimes you forget.

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