MORE than 1,500 Shenzhen residents called the city's communications bureau in the first six months of the year to complain about the inconvenience caused by the phasing out of minibuses from the special economic zone (SEZ), the bureau said yesterday.

Among the calls, which accounted for 22.6 percent of the total complaints lodged with the bureau, 2.3 percent said the callers had to change buses after the minibuses they used to take were canceled.

Another 120 people, or 1.8 percent, complained they could not get any transportation late at night after minibuses went out of operation. Large buses usually stop running at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. on some routes, while in the past the minibuses would be available until 1 a.m. the next day.

The bureau agreed that passengers on certain routes had been inconvenienced, but said it was working on solving the problems.

However, some foreigners residing in the city have a different opinion about the minibus withdrawal.

Andrew Smith, an Australian who teaches at a local school, said he was not inconvenienced since he never took minibuses, which were "too dangerous and overloaded."

"I often take large buses or the Metro," he said.

But he was worried about the "terrible" driving habits of bus drivers and advised the local government to train drivers properly.

American Jerry Neil said he could not agree more with the local government's plan to remove all minibuses from inside the special zone, saying it was the "right decision."

"My experience on minibuses was too bad," Neil said. "Even though it causes inconvenience in one way, it is a good decision."

A total of 19 new bus routes will open by Sept. 10, according to the bureau.

Shenzhen has now 84 bus routes inside the special economic zone, which cover 95 percent of the total area.

Shenzhen bade farewell to minibuses June 30, when the last 10 minibus routes within the special zone stopped operating, 17 years after minibuses were seen in the city for the first time.

Minibuses had long been under fire for traffic violations such as stopping randomly, speeding and running red lights. They were even rated as the No. 1 road killer in the city.

In a letter written to the Shenzhen Daily, Michael Ward, an expat from the United States, complained that the minibuses were the most dangerous vehicles on Shenzhen streets.

"Shenzheners have mixed feelings toward minibuses. They love minibuses for their convenience, but hate them for their violation of traffic rules," Wu Jiongsheng, board chairman and general manager of Xinxihu Co. Ltd., the first company to run a minibus in Shenzhen, had said on the occasion of the phasing out of the minibuses.

Unlike the drivers of large buses, who draw fixed salaries for operating buses, minibus drivers worked on a contract basis and their income depended on the number of passengers they carried each day.

Therefore, minibus drivers would try to pick up as many passengers as possible, traveling fast, covering more bystreets and often breaking traffic rules.

Some people compared a minibus to a roller coaster because of its speed.

Editor: Wing