Citybus Receives Agreement-in-Principal for Hong Kong Island's First Hydrogen Refueling Station, alongside the Parallel Testing of Five Hydrogen Double-Decker Buses

(23 August 2023, Hong Kong) Citybus is delighted to announce yet another significant advancement in our zero-emission transformation campaign #MissionZero, with the agreement-in-principle being granted to our pioneering project to construct Hong Kong Island’s first hydrogen refueling station and to undertake a parallel testing programme for hydrogen buses alongside those of both electric and traditional diesel propulsion by the government's “Inter-departmental Working Group on using Hydrogen as Fuel” (the Working Group). We welcome the government’s decision. Both projects are positioned to commence within 2024, heralding the beginning of Hong Kong’s “hydrogen” future.

Citybus remains steadfast in our commitment to operating an entire fleet of zero-emissions buses by 2045, and we are devoted to working with and assisting the government in gathering operational performance data for new energy buses. The first-ever parallel test of hydrogen, electric and existing diesel vehicles will commence next year, following the procurement of five electric and five hydrogen buses specifically for the trial. These vehicles will be trialed alongside our existing diesel bus fleet, enabling us to gather detailed and sufficient operating data and metrics, including customer feedback and performance evaluations on various routes under differing operating conditions. The data will serve as the bedrock for formulating our comprehensive zero emission plan for our business and the wider city as a whole and define such things as future fleet composition and infrastructure requirements.

In order to supply hydrogen for the parallel testing, we will also construct our first hydrogen refueling station on Hong Kong Island. This project, which is larger in scale than the one currently under construction at our West Kowloon Depot, will provide the hydrogen supply for the production model of our hydrogen double deck buses. The project (subject to approvals) is estimated to be completed within approximately 12 months, the facility will be capable of extracting over 500 kg of hydrogen per day, which is sufficient to fill 10 to 12 hydrogen buses daily.

Citybus' Operations & Engineering Director Mr. Vincent Fung said, “We are pleased that our hydrogen projects have once again received agreement-in-principle from the government’s Working Group. This resounding endorsement reaffirms our position as the leader and pioneer of Hong Kong’s zero-emission transformation.” Mr. Fung added, “By strategically building refueling stations in both Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, we are able to temporarily address the limitations of hydrogen buses in tunnel operations, which are currently under review, and to gain invaluable insights into the characteristics of different hydrogen supply technologies. The projects will greatly contribute to the healthy and rapid development of Hong Kong's hydrogen industry, creating a safe and reliable hydrogen ecosystem."

With our #MissionZero campaign making remarkable strides, we eagerly anticipate the launch of Hong Kong's first hydrogen bus and hydrogen refueling station later this year.

Citybus is owned by Bravo Transport Services and is committed to improving the quality of life for the citizens of Hong Kong that we serve, whilst providing safe and reliable bus services. The company employs over 5,000 staff, operates over 1,700 buses across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories and carries over one million customers per day. Citybus has an industry leading bus fleet with all buses operating at Euro5 emissions standard or above.‍