Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus to hit streets on Sunday
- Citybus says eco-friendly bus will run on ‘Waterloo Road Line’ – route 20 travelling through Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po
- Company expects to operate full fleet of zero-emission buses before 2045
Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus will hit the streets on Sunday, the first of what Citybus intends will be a full-fleet of the zero-emission vehicles in operation by 2045.
Citybus director of operations and engineering Vincent Fung said on Friday the eco-friendly bus would run on the “Waterloo Road Line”, route 20 travelling through the Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po.
“This is the first time in Hong Kong’s history that a hydrogen bus hits the city’s roads to provide service for passengers,” he said. “We expect that Citybus will operate a full fleet of zero-emission buses before 2045.”
The company’s target is five years ahead of the government’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
“We will seek to progressively expand its schedule of service in order to widen the opportunity to see it operating in different areas and enrich our customers’ hydrogen experience,” Fung added.
The bus will initially make six to eight trips daily along the route in its first month before being transferred to other districts.
The bus, which generates zero roadside emissions, underwent a 200km (124-mile) test at the company’s West Kowloon depot and completed multiple refuelling operations at the city’s first hydrogen refill station, according to the company.
Citybus has also launched a training programme for engineers and drivers to ensure the safe operation of both the vehicle and refuelling station, with the first batch having already completed the course.
Hong Kong’s first hydrogen double-decker bus to hit the streets in 1 month
The company obtained permission from the Transport Department to use the hydrogen-powered bus for transport services and finished building the refuelling station at the end of 2023, a year after unveiling the vehicle.
The buses, equipped with hydrogen cylinders and supply systems, are more environmentally friendly than their diesel-fuelled counterparts, as hydrogen is turned into electricity through chemical reactions and they only emit water in the process. Fung also noted that hydrogen-powered buses were quieter than diesel ones.
According to the company, refuelling takes about 10 minutes and allows the bus to travel up to 400km.
Fung emphasised that Citybus attached great importance to upholding vehicle safety, noting the bus had a device to monitor the hydrogen concentration level of the fuel cell.
“In case that the hydrogen concentration is more than the permitted level, then the system will shut down. A signal will be sent to inform the driver,” Fung said.
“We have worked tirelessly to push forward our testing initiatives, establish safety regulations and provide training for our personnel.”
Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered bus can’t hit the road yet
The company plans to launch at least five of the eco-friendly buses as well as establish a second refuelling station at its Hong Kong Island Chong Fu Depot this year.
Last October, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government would begin devising a hydrogen fuel policy for commercial vehicles in the first half of this year, with preparatory work for legislative amendments covering the production, storage, transport and application of hydrogen fuel to be carried out in the first quarter of 2025.
