Hundreds of bus fans queued to ride on Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker bus that recently went into service. Citybus is the bus operator.
The first person in line, Ken Lai, 18, arrived at 3am with his friend Daniel Cheng, who is 14. Ken said he was most excited to see the bus stop at the Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market. He thought this historical place would be an interesting contrast to the new technology of the bus.
When the doors opened, Ken and Daniel quickly went up to the top deck and grabbed the best seats in the front row.
Roger Ma Chim-wai is the general manager of operations for Citybus. He said the new bus would operate six to eight trips daily on route 20 during its first month. After that, it will serve other routes, too.
However, hydrogen buses are not allowed to go through tunnels, so Citybus plans to build another refuelling station on Hong Kong Island to expand the use of these buses.
Citybus hopes to have at least five of these eco-friendly buses in service this year. It only takes about 10 minutes to refuel the bus, and it can travel up to 400km. The company also aims to have a fleet of buses that produce zero emissions by 2045. This is five years before the government’s deadline for a carbon-neutral city.
