The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017 will be gazetted on April 7 to increase the maximum seating capacity of public and private minibuses from 16 to 19 to balance transport services.
The amendment is to meet passenger demand for minibus services, particularly during peak periods, the Transport & Housing Bureau said today.
The increase is not mandatory, and operators can take into account operational conditions and passenger demand to decide whether and when to increase seating capacity.
The bureau said increasing seating capacity instead of bus numbers will better meet passenger demand and reduce waiting time without worsening traffic.
The bill will be tabled at the Legislative Council on April 26.
