Citybus Ltd has been approved to import 20 non-franchised bus (NFB) drivers, a number that meets the required manpower ratio of imported to local labour of not more than one to two for each employer, the Transport Department said today.

In a statement, the department also clarified that the “Labour Importation Scheme for Transport Sector – Public Light Bus (PLB)/Coach Trade”, launched last June, covers both the PLB and the NFB trades and does not apply to franchised bus drivers.

It added that besides operating two bus franchises, Citybus Ltd is a holder of relevant passenger service licences to provide NFB services, services for employees and residents, and more, and is therefore eligible to import drivers to operate NFB routes under the abovementioned scheme.

The department stressed that as far as Citybus Ltd’s labour importation application is concerned, the basis of calculation was limited to the company’s manpower provision under its passenger service licence for the provision of NFB services. It added that the manpower provision for its franchised services was not taken into account.

Moreover, the department said it has made it clear to Citybus Ltd that the imported NFB drivers are not allowed to take up other duties outside the scheme, including driving franchised bus routes.

The department said it will step up monitoring in the future. The approval granted to the imported drivers will be revoked and the companies concerned will not be allowed to participate in the scheme for two years if they are found to be in breach of the relevant regulations.

Employers whose applications for imported drivers are approved must arrange for the drivers to come to Hong Kong in good time for pre-service training and to sit a test to obtain the full driving licence, the statement said.

Imported drivers are only deemed ready for service when their route training is completed. Drivers imported under the scheme must meet the same requirements in the driving tests as local drivers.