Advertisement
Climate change
OpinionLetters

Letters | Hong Kong’s new government must break gridlock to deliver a zero-emission bus fleet

  • The government expects bus operators to conduct trials of electric vehicles, but operators are reluctant to invest in such tests without a road map from the government
  • Meanwhile, air quality levels are far from satisfactory, leading to over a thousand deaths each year

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
Bravo Transport Services unveils Hong Kong’s first electric double deck bus at the Citybus Chai Wan depot on April 29. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Letters
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification.
Advertisement
With some franchised bus operators launching new electric buses in the last fortnight, zero-emission transport in Hong Kong has taken a small step forward. Yet without government leadership, we are still far from meeting public demand for a 100 per cent zero-emission bus fleet.
Each year over a thousand Hongkongers die prematurely because of air pollution. Despite the improvements over the past few years, the average level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the roadside air in 2021 still exceeded World Health Organization standards by 620 per cent.
The Hong Kong government vowed to have local air quality on par with cities such as Tokyo and Paris, by 2035. But there is still a considerable gap. Paris’ average levels of roadside NO2 and PM2.5 in 2019-21 were still 38 per cent and 31 per cent respectively lower than that of Hong Kong.

Roadside air pollutants mainly come from commercial vehicles, of which franchised buses form a sizeable portion. Buses are responsible for some of the most harmful emissions considering their proximity to the population, extensive coverage and long operating hours. Reducing emissions from franchised buses is thus critical. However at present only under 1 per cent of the fleet has been electrified.

Advertisement

A policy gridlock has been one of the many challenges in this regard. Without a clear policy direction, bus operators are unlikely to invest sufficiently and resolve deep-rooted problems, including a lack of infrastructure. Meanwhile, the government relies on operators to undertake trials to understand the viability of transitioning to an electric fleet. Without these trials, a policy road map seems unlikely.

Advertisement