The Transport Bureau (DSAT) temporarily closed a short street in the Inner Harbour area to vehicular traffic and used the street as an area for public bus passengers to queue for the busy No. MT4 route during the mainland’s five-day Labour Day Golden Week holiday period, which ended last night.
The temporary measure for the No. MT4 route, which started on Wednesday and ended yesterday, was implemented for the first time. The temporary measure for the No. MT4 route is similar to the bureau’s temporary measure for the busy No. 3 and No. 3X routes normally implemented during the mainland’s Golden Week holiday periods.
Similar to one implemented outside Macau Square
The measure for the No. 3 and No. 3X routes to the Barrier Gate checkpoint, which had also been implemented during this year’s Labour Day holiday period, normally suspends the operation of the bus stop outside the OCBC Bank headquarters on Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro and instead sets up a queuing area outside Luso International Bank Building and the Macau Square commercial building on Rua do Dr Pedro José Lobo in Nam Van, allowing a large number of passengers to wait for buses in a more spacious area than the narrow pavement outside OCBC.
The first-time measure for the No. MT4 route to Taipa island was implemented on Rua do Coronel Ferreira (非利喇街), a short one-way street for vehicles to turn into Rua do Visconde Paço de Arcos (巴素打爾古街), the busy thoroughfare running past the Ponte 16 casino-hotel. The bureau closed Rua do Coronel Ferreira between Wednesday and yesterday to vehicular traffic, setting up a queuing area for No. MT4 route passengers, temporarily replacing the bus stop on the narrow pavement on Rua do Visconde Paço de Arcos.
Similar to the measure for the No. 3 and No. 3X routes, the measure for the No. MT4 route also aimed to allow a large number of passengers to wait for buses in a more spacious area instead of on a narrow pavement.
Passenger punches bus stop attendant
On Thursday afternoon, the second day of the temporary measure for the No. MT4 route, a male passenger who attempted to jump the queue at the Rua do Coronel Ferreira temporary queuing area “suddenly” punched a female bus stop attendant of the route’s bus operator when she was working as a supervisor tasked with maintaining order there.
The case was announced by the Transport Bureau on Thursday night, according to which the attack slightly injured the female staff’s hand, who was then taken to hospital for outpatient treatment.
As witnessed by the Post on site yesterday afternoon, the last day of this year’s Labour Day holiday period and the temporary measure for the No. MT4 route, there were just a few passengers waiting for MT4 buses at the Rua do Coronel Ferreira temporary area.
According to local media reports, there were long queues at the Rua do Coronel Ferreira temporary area during the first three or four days of this year’s Labour Day holiday period.
Transmac bus stop attendants work at Rua do Coronel Ferreira in the Inner Harbour area, which was used as a queuing area for No. MT4 route passengers during the outgoing Labour Day holiday period, yesterday afternoon when several passengers were getting on a MT4 bus. – Photo: Tony Wong
