Life’s a gas as Hong Kong hydrogen-powered double-decker bus hits streets for maiden trip
- Operator Citybus says hydrogen-fuelled vehicle is first of at least five to go into service this year
- Company says it wants zero emissions fleet by 2045, five years before government’s carbon-neutral city deadline
Hundreds of bus fans queued to board Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus that went into service on Sunday, the initial vehicle of what operator Citybus said would be a zero-emission fleet by 2045.
Despite a chill in the air, the enthusiasts started to line up as early as 3am on Muk On Street in Kai Tak to watch the HK$8 million (US$1.02 million) bus enter into service at 11am.
More than a hundred people, equipped with cameras and placards, secured places for the first run along route 20, which goes through Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po.
Ken Lai, 18, was the first in the queue to board the bus in Kai Tak with friend Daniel Cheng, 14.
“I started lining up at 3am this morning, and I brought along some snacks to eat while waiting,” Lai said. “I am most excited for the bus to stop by the Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market, a historical place, to juxtapose with the new technology of this bus.”
The two dashed up to the top deck when the bus doors opened and managed to grab a coveted front row seat, which Lai said offered the best view.
Gordon Auyeung, 12, said he started to queue at about 9am and managed to get a seat next to the hydrogen battery-powered bus engine on the lower deck.
“I look forward to the moment when the bus accelerates, to feel the difference between the hydrogen-powered bus and a petrol-fuelled one,” he said. “The engine on this bus is much quieter and it also doesn’t emit air pollutants.”
Some bus enthusiasts filmed the entire route from the front of the top deck and others recorded its bell, announcements and the engine noise.
Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus to hit streets on Sunday
Others who were unable to board the bus, which has a capacity of 119, instead staked out spots along the route to catch a glimpse of the vehicle as it passed.
Roger Ma Chim-wai, the general manager of operations for Citybus, said the new bus would make six to eight trips a day on route 20 in its first month.
He added the bus would move to route 22M between To Kwa Wan and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and route 20A, which brings passengers from the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal to the West Kowloon High Speed Rail Station, after that.
“We hope to deploy the hydrogen buses to serve on the Hong Kong Island side, but our existing hydrogen refill station is located in Kowloon,” Ma said. “One of the limitations in the regulations is that hydrogen buses cannot travel in tunnels.”
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He said the company planned to have at least five of the eco-friendly buses in service this year and create a second refuelling station on Hong Kong Island.
The buses, fitted with hydrogen cylinders and supply systems, are more environmentally friendly than diesel-fuelled vehicles as hydrogen is turned into electricity through a chemical reaction and the only emission is water.
City bus said refuelling took about 10 minutes and allowed the bus to travel up to 400km (249 miles).
The company said its 2045 target for a zero emissions fleet was five years before the government deadline for a carbon-neutral city.
