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

Climate change

Letters

Published: 11:30am, 9 May 2022

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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.

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.

Recently, bus operators have shown enthusiasm for turning to new energy. Given the fluctuating price of oil, and the expected fall in the costs of new energy buses because of market growth, operators have strong reasons to accelerate the transition.

A public opinion survey in November 2021 by Clean Air Network showed that 72 per cent of Hongkongers were in favour of replacing all franchised buses with zero-emission vehicles, while 49 per cent of them wanted at least half the fleet to become zero-emission by 2030.

To cope with growing public concern about health and environment, and the global trend of zero-emission transport, the government, which holds the key to resolving the gridlock, has no time to waste. We urge the new administration to take on the responsibility of developing infrastructure, leading large-scale operational trials, providing resources, easing regulatory barriers, and establishing a body to be accountable for the progress of the transition.

Patrick Fung, CEO, Clean Air Network