Annual Report 2020

2020 Annual Report Transport International Holdings Limited 13 pandemic measures such as school suspension and social gathering ban, causing a drastic drop in the passenger demand for the service of Sun Bus. Our China Mainland Transport Operations Division continued to record positive overall results in 2020. Coronavirus Led to a Plunge in Passenger Numbers In 2020, COVID-19 spread across the world and inflicted harm on every industry in Hong Kong. Ports were shut down by the HKSAR Government, permit issuance under the Individual Visit Scheme ceased and compulsory quarantine was implemented. The market has deteriorated apparently and the economic winter has arrived. Public demand for bus services remained low and all bus routes were affected. As more anti-pandemic measures were introduced, including the extension of school suspension and work-from-home arrangements for civil servants and corporations, passenger numbers on all routes in every district of Hong Kong dropped significantly. In the face of such an extremely difficult operational environment, the Group strived for the best to safeguard stable employment for all staff members, especially frontline employees. Every unit of the Group immediately adopted multiple measures to save resources. With the approval of the Transport Department, KMB and LWB made temporary and necessary service adjustments in bus frequencies to ensure the sustainability of the Group. Meanwhile, we also deployed our manpower and buses in a flexible manner to provide corresponding services to meet passengers’ demand. In the meantime, the government successively launched two tranches of “Employment Support Scheme” in 2020 to various industries to provide employers with financial support for retaining employees. KMB and LWB have also received support to help the companies and employees tide over difficulties. The total amount of wage subsidies has been used to pay employees’ salaries, and the companies express their gratitude to the government for its timely actions. With TIH Masks We Fight Against COVID-19 Together In the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, Hong Kong was in a severe shortage of masks. At TIH, there were more than 14,000 staff members, with most of them working on the frontline to deliver bus services to passengers. As early as last February, the Group decided to invest in setting up its own production line for masks to safeguard the health and safety of our employees. These TIH masks were also available to staff family members and passengers at a discounted price. TIH prided itself on being the first local public transport institution to set up its own production line for masks. Hong Kong is our hometown and we are committed to fulfilling our corporate social responsibility. With the higher capacity of our mask production line, the Group took the initiative to donate masks to charitable organisations to assist subdivided unit households, the homeless, and the disabled to help ease their financial burden. By putting the spirit of community care into action, we will continue to stand firm with Hong Kong people in the fight against COVID-19. Adopting Multiple Enhancement Measures to Safeguard Health Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Group has put in place stringent anti-pandemic measures and internal guidelines. All staff members were requested to measure their temperature before starting work and wear masks when they were on duty. Cleaning and sterilisation work were enhanced and implemented comprehensively in all workplaces, including bus termini, staff restrooms, and service facilities. The Group also encouraged staff members to receive free COVID-19 tests and established a notification mechanism for effective communication.